Daniel Bachmann, the man keeping Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye on the bench at Watford, has revealed that he was close to joining Manchester United in the summer.
The 28-year-old Austria international has played every minute of all eight Championship games for Watford this season, keeping three clean sheets as they seek a quick return to the Premier League.
On the other hand, 23-year-old Okoye, who joined Watford fully from Sparta Rotterdam in the summer, has only played once this season, in the 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat against MK Dons on August 23.
Okoye has made the bench only thrice in the Championship and his chances might have been better if Bachmann and Watford had reached an agreement with Manchester United.
The Austrian said in an interview published today that he was one of a number of goalkeepers United actively pursued in the summer before they settled for a loan deal with Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka.
“There have been talks with Manchester United. That’s no secret. Of course, it’s great to be associated with such a club. It was also serious. There were negotiations between the clubs and of course between me and the clubs,” he told LAOLA1, as relayed by Sport Witness.
“In the end, however, I’m still a Watford player and I’m very happy about it. Because I play here regularly, bring in my performances and hopefully can play a role in the national team again.”
When Bachmann was asked whether the prospect of playing second fiddle to David de Gea was a factor in the collapse of the negotiations, he suggested it was so.
“If I had gone to Man United, then I would of course have been number two,” he explained.
“That’s quite clear because in David de Gea they have a top goalkeeper who has been one of the best, if not the best, goalkeeper in the Premier League over the last ten years.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I would never have played if I went there. One does not exclude the other, because every goalkeeper can be replaced – and De Gea has also had a low before, during which he did not play for a while.
“That means: I would not have gone to Manchester United just to sit on the bench. I would have come to training every day and tried to convince the coach to let me play. That’s very clear.
“Still, I’m glad it turned out the way it did for me. I just want to play football, that’s what I live for. I feel very comfortable and that is reflected on the pitch,” Bachmann explained.
Bachmann then noted that it was his and Watford’s decision to stay at the club rather than make the move to Manchester United.
“Both sides (made the decision). In the end, the famous overall package didn’t fit,” he added.
“It went back and forth for a relatively long time. The first contact was made at the end of May, it lasted until mid-July. It wasn’t like a club or I said no, you just couldn’t agree on anything. That happens in football.”
