It was always going to be difficult to replace the dominant shot-stopper given that Peter Schmeichel made more than 350 appearances for Manchester United and won a total of 16 trophies, including five top-flight titles. The Dane is widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history, and he even scored for the Reds while he was at Old Trafford.
This is probably why United’s first attempt to replace him didn’t work out as planned. Throughout his career, strikers feared Schmeichel because of his intimidating physique, which included specially designed size XXXL shirts. He received numerous individual honors and ended his United career on a high note, as the team won the Triple Crown in his final season.
However, the goalkeeper was “sacked” by Sir Alex Ferguson in January 1994 as a result of a disagreement. However, Ferguson heard of his impromptu apology to the other first-team players, and he was allowed to stay at Old Trafford. Naturally, the rest is history.
United had the difficult task of replacing Schmeichel when he did leave. Massimo Taibi, Fabien Barthez, Tim Howard, Roy Carroll, and Mark Bosnich were among the Reds’ most well-known goalkeepers. Mark Bosnich was the team’s first attempt to replace the big Dane.
Earlier in his career, Bosnich had actually played three games for United, but he had to leave Old Trafford because he couldn’t get a work permit. At the point when the Australian returned toward the finish of the 1990s – on a free exchange from Aston Estate – he was supposed to do the inconceivable and supplant Schmeichel.
It was continuously going to be troublesome, for both the goalkeeper and Joined together, yet Bosnich’s time at the club couldn’t actually have gone a lot more terrible, and it positively didn’t go to design.
The Australian played for the Reds for half a season before signing with Chelsea in January 2001. In his second season with the club, he made just 35 appearances and didn’t play at all. He did, however, win a trophy for the Intercontinental Cup and a Premier League winner’s medal.
He had a brief and ultimately unsuccessful United career. However, the consequences of his departure were never anticipate. He had failed to replace the player who appeared to be irreplaceable, but in the years that followed, better goalkeepers would do the same.
People were therefore understandably shock when Ferguson later claimed that he tried to pull out of the deal to sign Bosnich and that the goalkeeper was “a terrible professional.”
Ferguson wrote in his second autobiography, “Mark Bosnich was, in my opinion, a terrible professional, which we should have known.” We were taken aback when Peter Schmeichel announce his retirement in the fall of his final season, which led to the Bosnich purchase. We quickly made decisions.
“Despite reports about Bosnich’s behavior off the field, we met him in January. I sent someone down to observe him while he was training. I knew he was the right person for Manchester United because he did nothing in the sessions.
The Scotsman acknowledged that he had attempted to acquire Edwin van der Sar from Ajax in order to succeed Schmeichel, but Martin Edwards and Bosnich had already reached an agreement. Van der Sar, on the other hand, would sign with Juventus in the same summer.
Ferguson went on: After speaking with Edwin van der Sar’s agent and Martin Edwards, I changed my strategy and went after Edwin van der Sar. Martin Edwards informed me, “Alex, I’m sorry, I’ve shaken hands with Bosnich.” That was a blow. I admire Martin’s refusal to break his word after shaking Mark’s hand. In any case, it was a terrible piece of business.”
Bosnich wasn’t the goalkeeper United want, but they end up signing him anyway. Ferguson, quick to proceed with his strength at the high level, demanded that he, his mentors, and the players generally pushed the Australian to arrive at better expectations in his most memorable season.