Former Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar has revealed inside information on what exactly led to him being dropped on two separate occasions.
Previous Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar has shared information on what went on between him and former United head coach Erik ten Hag.
Kovar came to Old Trafford in 2018 when he was just 17-years-old. Although originally signed to play in the under-18 team, the Czech international quickly impressed and climbed through the academy ranks.
Within a few months of joining the Reds, United boss at the time, Jose Mourinho had Kovar training with the first team, the youngster’s talent deemed as one to watch. This led to his first time appearing on the squad sheet for the senior team just a year after signing for United in a Europa League clash against Atalanta.
Despite being an unused substitute that evening, with United goalkeeping legend David de Gea the obvious choice for who would guard the goal that evening, Kovar’s future with the Red Devils looked incredibly promising.
He was later included in United’s 2021-22 squad; however, he never made a competitive appearance for the first team just unable to take the top spot off the Spanish international.
Kovars pre season sucess
Kovar spent a lot of his time at United on loan, which made sense given his total lack of first-team minutes. He endured spells at Swindon Town, Burton Albion and Sparta Prague.
His time away from the club was fairly successful, helping Sparta win the league during his year-long loan spell in the 2022-23 season. This then earned him the title of the Czech First League Goalkeeper of the season.
Once returning to Manchester, Kovar was utilised in United’s pre-season friendlies in 2023, coming on in the second half of a 2-0 victory against Leeds United and playing the full 90 against both Lyon and Edinburgh, keeping a clean sheet in both clashes.
Despite Kovar’s strong performances in pre-season, Ten Hag still chose to sell the goalkeeper. The Dutch head coach opted to make new signings with the arrivals of Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, giving Kovar an even smaller chance than before to gain first-team minutes.
This wasn’t the first time that Kovar and Ten Hag met, with their paths initially crossing when Ten Hag was left in charge of Leverkusen. While only managing to fill the dugout for three games before being sacked from the role, Kovar still revealed that Ten Hag did not influence his departure from the German side.
Want to stay as up-to-date as possible on the latest Manchester United updates? Add UtdDistrict as a preferred source on Google for news you can rely on.
PSV sucess
Recently speaking to ESPN, Kovar revealed what people might not know about his move to PSV. When questioned whether Ten Hag was the man responsible for the sale, Kovar said, “No, I don’t think so.
“So, as you mentioned before, I knew I wanted to go play because the last season I wasn’t really a regular starter at the club and, at the age I think I was 24, 25.
“So, I knew the next step will be somewhere where I wanted to play and wanted to show what I’m capable of. So, that was always my aim. So, I didn’t even really meet him at Leverkusen.”
While not Ten Hag’s decision, Kovar’s move to PSV has been nothing short of the perfect move for the 25-year-old. PSV currently hold a 19-point lead over Feyenoord, meaning they are stepping in the right direction to win the Eredivisie title as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.
The former United academy prospect has made 24 appearances under Peter Bosv and has had kept six clean sheets, a move away from United the perfect decision in the end.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.