“Luis Enrique saw something in me that I myself did not see,” was the phrase that Unai Simon used to describe his rise in the Spanish national team.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper made his debut just four years ago for Athletic Club, and two years on would make his Spain debut. Now he is the starting goalkeeper for La Roja, with the full backing of his manager.
The man he replaced, David de Gea, appears to be on the way out of his current club Manchester United, with his contract expiring in the summer. Rumours have started that Simon may be the one to replace him at club level too.
Speaking to Caught Offside in his exclusive column, Italian transfer guru addressed that speculation.
“No, honestly I’m not aware of any talk between Man United and Unai Simon or his agents. I think he’s very good goalkeeper but at the moment the goalkeepers market in general is really quiet; it’s always kind of domino for the goalkeepers and I don’t see big things changing in January.”
It should be said that any deal to take Simon out of Bilbao will likely set United back considerably. The Basque shot-stopper has a deal until 2025, without any release clause. Athletic Club often demand a premium for their players though, given their own limited pool from which they can recruit from.
That was seen with Kepa Arrizabalaga, who cost Chelsea €80m and remains the most expensive deal for a goalkeeper yet. Simon is a stronger ‘keeper and a much larger personality than Kepa, but whether United are willing to extend themselves financially to bring Simon on remains to be seen.
