29 June 2023 , 18:15
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Highly-rated MLS goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been tipped to be good enough to play for Manchester United or Chelsea by a former Premier League stalwart.
The New England Revolution stopper has earned rave reviews for his performances after moving to MLS just over a year ago, with his whirlwind rise to prominence having seen him become one of the league's hottest properties. The 23-year-old signed for the Revs from Cukaricki in his homeland of Serbia and made an immediate impression, earning himself the MLS Save of the Year award in the process.
On top of this, the two-time international also was named as runner-up in the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year vote after keeping six clean sheets in 16 outings and becoming the fasted fastest goalkeeper to save five penalties. This impactful first year stateside has been followed up with a strong showing this term as well, with Petrovic keeping another six clean sheets so far from 18 appearances.
It will come as no surprise, therefore, that his showings in the US have quickly garnered him admirers, with Manchester United considering a move for the highly-rated goalkeeper as Erik ten Hag looks to solve a potential shortage in this position, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Now, Petrovic has been backed to make the move to Old Trafford by a former Premier League and MLS stalwart, who made the transition from playing in the US to the Premier League some 25 years ago. Like the Serbian international, Brad Friedel was tipped to become a star in England after making his name stateside with Columbus Crew and did so by making 450 appearances in the league representing Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham.
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Friedel knows full well what is required in order to make the grade in the English top flight, therefore and the retired ex-USMNT stopper has now asserted that Petrovic has all the right attributes to become a success in the division. Speaking to OLBG, he explained: "I think Djordje Petrovic should be on the radar of Premier League clubs.
"He could start right now for pretty much any team in Europe, although he has a learning curve of course. From what I have seen of him, there has been no better goalkeeper in MLS for a long time.
New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been linked with a move to Premier League giants Manchester United. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)"New England are second in the Eastern Conference, they have Carles Gil and [Djordje] Petrovic. If you take those two out of the team they would struggle winning games, they are that influential."
The American added: "I think Petrovic is good enough to start for Man United and Chelsea. People are talking about Man United’s goalkeeper situation a lot, but I’m not sure they have the budget right now for the keepers being mentioned in the papers."
With long-term servant David de Gea increasingly likely to depart on a free transfer, it is clear that reinforcements may be required. On top of this, it is not unthinkable that fellow back-up Tom Heaton would be allowed to seek first team minutes elsewhere after asking to leave, as per the Telegraph.