Xabier Mancisidor rejects Manchester United

Manchester United’s goalkeeping department has been through significant upheaval both on and off the pitch this year.

Andre Onana’s exit on loan to Trabzonspor brought an end to a turbulent spell between the posts, while Altay Bayindir also departed on loan to Celta Vigo after failing to nail down the No.1 shirt.

Senne Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp to lead the goalkeeping department last season and he had a brilliant debut season, with experienced backup Karl Darlow joining this season.

Craig Mawson has remained a constant throughout that upheaval, continuing in his role as United’s goalkeeping coach having worked with Michael Carrick previously under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching staff.

United’s interest in strengthening that department further this summer, however, has ended in disappointment.

Xabier Mancisidor rejects Manchester United

Xabier Mancisidor has turned down interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Bournemouth to instead link up with former Manchester City colleague Juanma Lillo on Mexico’s backroom staff, as City Xtra revealed.

Xabier Mancisidor, Manchester City’s long-serving goalkeeping coach, became a man in demand following Pep Guardiola’s departure, with all three Premier League clubs said to have explored his availability.

The vastly experienced coach held talks with United, Liverpool and Bournemouth over their set-ups, and could comfortably have remained in England’s top flight had he chosen to.

His decision to instead join Lillo, another well-travelled figure from Pep Guardiola’s coaching tree, reflects the pull of working once again alongside a familiar face rather than starting fresh in a new English dressing room.

Mancisidor spent close to a decade at City, playing a significant role in developing Ederson into one of the finest ball-playing goalkeepers of his generation before Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival reshaped the club’s plans between the posts.

His reputation for developing sweeper-keepers comfortable building attacks from deep made him a natural target for United, who have spent much of the summer trying to modernise a goalkeeping department left behind by rivals in recent years.

Losing out on Mancisidor represents a missed opportunity for United to bring in a coach with genuine elite pedigree, even with Mawson continuing to oversee Lammens’ early integration at Carrington.

Liverpool and Bournemouth are understood to be similarly disappointed, having also viewed Mancisidor as an ideal addition to strengthen their own goalkeeping set-ups.