Amos Backed To The Hilt

As one Ben leaves, another is given his chance. Reds goalkeeper coach Eric Steele evaluates United’s newly-promoted third-choice stopper….

When Ben Foster signed for Birmingham, a lot of United fans expected Sir Alex to sign another goalkeeper. Instead, he’s promoted Ben Amos from within…
It’s a big vote of confidence for the boy and it’s promising because he’s another lad who’s come through the Academy system. Ben’s been at the club now for nine years, so it’s a nice reward for him.

He’s only 20 years old. Is he ready?
The manager and myself have seen enough in his ability to suggest he is. We’ve thrown the gauntlet down, so it’s up to him now to fulfil his potential. The challenge is for us to continue his development, but also for him to take the opportunity and make the most of it.

Not many goalkeepers move through the ranks at Old Trafford…
Yes, it’s a long time since 1985 when Gary Walsh came through – he was the last locally-reared goalkeeper to play for United. But don’t forget Ben’s already tasted first-team action, back in September 2008 when he played against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup. Unfortunately for him he hasn’t had another chance since then but he certainly showed promise during that game.

What are Ben’s biggest attributes?
Physically, he’s a good size at 6ft 3 in. He’s a good shot-stopper, distributes the ball well and likes to organise his defenders. If you’re going to be a Manchester United goalkeeper you have to show a keenness and a willingness to appreciate good football – you need to know when to play the ball short and when to play the ball long. Ben’s certainly developed that side of his game over the last 18 months and he’s been encouraged to play the ball out of defence when he’s lined up for the Reserves.

How did his recent loan spell pan out?
He only arrived back in Manchester last week after a good spell in Norway with Molde FK. He played first-team football there for two months, which has done him the power of good. He will have learnt an awful lot out there about himself and about how to marshal defences and become an organiser. That was another step in his development and now we feel he’s ready to come back and take up the challenge of performing alongside Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak.

How vital are loan spells, especially for goalkeepers?
They’re big learning experiences. It helps players experience first-team football and get into the routine of preparing for big games every week. If they stay on the fringes at United, at a club where you could be involved in four competitions and there’s a lot of squad rotation, it can be difficult to get into a rhythm. The loan spells help replicate what conditions are like once you break through into that first XI. That said, he’ll probably find he’ll learn more during some of the training sessions at United next season than he possibly might do if he went out on loan to a lower-league side.

So when will we see Ben in action?
Ben’s going to get a lot more exposure now that he’s part of the first-team squad and he’ll join us on the American tour. He’ll play games out there. As for next season, I’d like to think he’ll play more of a part and that’s the whole idea of this promotion. Hopefully he might gain some experience and exposure in matches like the pre-season friendlies and the Carling Cup. That’s probably a realistic target for 2010/11.

You don’t expect him to be challenging Edwin van der Sar just yet?
No, no. Goalkeepers develop later anyway, so he’s got plenty of time. That said, in football these days your number three can be your number one very quickly. It only takes a red card and an injury to change everything.