Sergio Romero has bid farewell to Manchester United staff members ahead of a possible move in January.
The Argentine has slipped even further down the pecking order at Old Trafford following Dean Henderson’s return from loan at Sheffield United, and with Lee Grant also pictured, Romero now appears to be United’s fourth goalkeeper.
He has not played for the Red Devils since their Europa League quarter-final victory over Copenhagen on August 10 and has been left out of their Premier League and Champions League squads for the 2020/21 campaign.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Romero said goodbye to a selection of staff at the United training complex in Carrington in December and has not resumed training since the start of the year.
The 33-year-old is reportedly back in his native Argentina and training in Buenos Aires, with a move to Boca Juniors in the works.
Romero has United’s clearance to train in Argentina, but if a move doesn’t materialize he is expected to return to Manchester.
Romero was widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers during his five years at Old Trafford, and his treatment over the past six months has reportedly disappointed the rest of the United squad.
The goalkeeper’s frustration was sparked in July when he was dropped in favor of David de Gea for United’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea, as Romero had started in every previous round. The following month, de Gea was again preferred for United’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla.
Despite the decline in the pecking order, Romero was subsequently denied his departure from Old Trafford during the 2020 transfer window – which led to sharp criticism from his wife, Eliana Guercio.
