Former Peterborough United goalkeeper Joe Lewis is currently training with Premier League giants Manchester United to keep himself fit, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Lewis is a stalwart of the English Football League, having played for several clubs across the top four divisions, including Posh, Cardiff City, Norwich City, Blackpool and Fulham, before moving to Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen back in 2016.
The veteran has been at Pittodrie for seven years now and made 272 appearances for the Dons. However, in his last season with Aberdeen, Lewis featured just three times, having been phased out for ex-Derby County shot-stopper Kelle Roos last term.
In the summer, Lewis’ deal expired and the goalkeeper was made a free agent and so far, the keeper hasn’t been contracted to a new club.
Nevertheless, the Manchester Evening News reported that this past week, the 36-year-old was training with Man United at Carrington as Erik ten Hag’s side prepare to take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday in the Northwest Derby.
This isn’t the first time that United have taken more experienced players into team training, with the likes of Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton returning to the club to get up to full fitness before being offered contracts.
Manchester United’s £47 million goalkeeper Andre Onana will be heading to the African Cup of Nations in the new year, with backup keepers Altay Bayindir and Heaton set to battle it out for the number ‘1’ spot in the team.
But there could potentially be a spot for one more goalkeeper in the Cameroon international’s absence and perhaps Lewis is training to eventually fill the void by being United’s third-choice keeper.
Writer’s View
Lewis never played for Manchester United so it seems a little strange that the 13-time Premier League champions would agree to bring him in to train. However, Lewis did play under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Cardiff and Darren Ferguson with Peterborough, two former United players.
The ex-England U21s international has a wealth of experience in English football and it wouldn’t be surprising if United were to replicate the signing of Heaton was handing Lewis a short-term contract over the coming weeks while Onana is away to add more depth to the goalkeeping department.
