With Van der Sar having recently celebrated his 40th birthday, Thomas Kuszczak failing to establish himself as a first-team regular, and young Ben Amos only beginning to find his feet at the club, Ferguson may see Shay Given as the ideal man to take charge between the posts at Old Trafford, and would surely look to snap him up in January to pre-empt an offer from another Premiership manager.
So, why shouldn’t United sign City’s second-choice stopper?
1. A move across the city between bitter rivals would, inevitably, be complicated.
2. Despite being used to the pressure at the top flight, United would still be a big step for Given, who has yet to win an award.
3. The player has never expressed an interest in joining United.
4. Despite Van der Sar’s age, the Dutchman is in fine form and still going strong, and Given could not hope to be first choice if he signed in January; he would, in all likelihood, merely be swapping one bench for another.
5. What would Given cost? His wages at City will certainly not be those of any other second-choice keeper, and city would certainly not let any player go over to the red side of Manchester on the cheap.
