Fresh from having sealed a deal for Andre Onana last week, Manchester United are reportedly still interested in making a move for Feyenoord stopper Justin Bijlow, as Erik ten Hag seeks to strengthen his goalkeeping department this summer.
What's the latest on Bijlow to Man United?
According to Dutch outlet, 1908.nl, the Red Devils are 'still exploring the market' in their search to find a backup option to £47.2m signing, Onana, with Bijlow a player that remains on United's radar after previously being linked with a move earlier in the window.
As per the report, the Eredivisie side are hoping to have the 25-year-old – who has been valued at around £20m – still on the books for the 2023/24 season, with a new contract offer seemingly in the works.
The need for a new reserve 'keeper comes amid real uncertainty surrounding a number of the goalkeeper's currently at Old Trafford, with Dean Henderson and Nathan Bishop having been heavily linked with moves to Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, respectively, while Tom Heaton has also been the subject of interest from newly-promoted side, Luton Town.
Who is Justin Bijlow?
With those potential departures in the works, it could well be all change for United in the goalkeeping ranks, with the Premier League giants having already allowed long-serving Spaniard, David De Gea to move on after 12 years in Manchester.
While fresh faces are seemingly needed to help provide cover to Onana, it remains to be seen if Bijlow is the right option, despite the 6 foot 2 ace having previously been lauded as "brilliant" by ESPN's Cecilia Lagos.
Ten Hag's desire to look to the Dutch market to find new recruits has not been an overriding success during his time at the Theatre of Dreams, with Lisandro Martinez – who has been dubbed an "absolute monster" by teammate Luke Shaw – arguably the most successful Eredivisie arrival.
Martinez's Ajax colleague, Antony, endured a muted start to life in England after scoring just four league goals last season, while Rotterdam native Tyrell Malacia – who played alongside Bijlow at Feyenoord – has been a useful, albeit unspectacular squad option, having started just 14 top-flight games last term.
Amid those mixed fortunes, United were also seemingly stung by the arrival of another Dutch asset in the form of Wout Weghorst, with the 30-year-old striker having joined on loan from Burnley in January to help provide further depth to the forward line.
While previously rather prolific earlier on in his career – having notably bagged 45 goals in just 86 games for AZ Alkmaar – the 6 foot 6 marksman was unable to successfully replicate that impact in the Premier League, having failed to score a single top-flight goal in the second half of last season.
With just two goals to his name in total in 31 games in all competitions, the one-time Wolfsburg man undoubtedly failed to have the desired effect, having been described as "not good enough" to play for the club – or for his country – by legendary compatriot, Ruud Gullit.
The fear then will be that United may repeat that transfer howler by bringing in another Netherlands international in the form of Bijlow, with the latter man having also been the subject of criticism for his displays for Oranje, as pundit Willem van Hanegem recently stated:
"I just thought he was very bad at goalkeeping with the Dutch national team. For him, it was blunders. You have to be honest. If he doesn’t keep (the goal) well, he’s not good."
That stinging assessment should have alarm bells ringing back at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils unable to afford a repeat of their Weghorst mistake.