Who is Matej Kovar? Man Utd keeper named in Europa League squad

Young goalkeeper Matej Kovar has been included in Manchester United's squad for this season's Europa League.

He arrived at United from FC Slovacko in the 2019 January transfer window.

Kovar was handed the number 51 shirt after arriving at the club and, following loan exits for Dean Henderson and Joel Pereira in the summer, has assumed the position as the club's fourth choice between the posts, earning the squad call-up for Europe.

Here's all you need to know about him:

Who is Matej Kovar?

The 19-year-old Czech Republic goalkeeper joined United on deadline day in January having impressed for FC Slovako at youth level.

Kovar had impressed on trial at the club having been spotted by club scouts.

The teenager has already established himself in the Czech Republic's under-18 side and is known for his confident ball-playing ability.

Kovar also speaks English and joined United having previously also been on trial at Premier League rivals West Ham.

How did they find him?

The youngster was spotted by club scouts and invited to Carrington for a trial at the club before signing on deadline day of the January transfer window.

During his time at the training complex he met with both Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and even took a tour of Old Trafford as the club fought hard to convince him to join.

What does the future hold?

While it is difficult to gauge just how bright his future is, the club's efforts to recruit him certainly highlight his huge potential at the club.

Kovar is a fairly recent recruit to the club's academy following a high-profile revamp under academy chief Nicky Butt and he trained with the first-team group at Carrington last season.

Arnau Puigmal, Largie Ramazani and Millen Baars are just some of the names who have been snapped up in the last 12 months and, having been handed a squad number for the upcoming campaign, Kovar will be looking to emulate their successful starts to life at United.

After impressing in fairly regular appearances for United's Under-23s, it seems the club has high hopes for him and he will expect to feature more often for Neil Wood's young side.

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