A United Fan's Thoughts on Ben Amos

We all  may have already seen first hand the quality Ben Amos possesses, during his loan spell at Bolton Wanderers last season, but those brief nine games are just a mere drop in the ocean compared to the 14 years he spent at Old Trafford.

So I asked our quickly-becoming Manchester United correspondent, Paul Rowles, of Stretty News, if he could kindly shed a little bit more insight about our potential new #1 goalkeeper, and he kindly obliged:

The writing was well and truly on the wall, as far as local lad Ben Amos' Manchester United was concerned, when the promise of being David De Gea's understudy was undermined earlier this season and was relegated to fourth choice goalkeeper, behind new arrival Victor Valdes and fellow academy graduate Sam Johnstone, who would go on to secure promotion at his boyhood club Preston North End.

Amos went to print in March, shortly after Valdes' arrival to affirm as such to reporters:

"You could say Victor's arrival was the final nail in the coffin. Pre-season, I was told I was number two. With the cup games, if I'd got a sniff of that, that would have made it worthwhile sticking around for.

"As soon as Victor was brought in, I was essentially demoted to fourth really. Fourth-choice goalkeeper, you've got to move on.

"If I'm being totally honest because I am a United fan is why I've hung around a little bit more than I should have."

Amos has been restricted to a solitary Premier League appearance for United, keeping a clean sheet in a home victory against Stoke in 2012. He has been no stranger to new surroundings however, taking in loan spells at Carlisle, Molde (United's loan affiliate), Hull, Oldham and Peterborough.

It is about time the keeper found a home of his own, and the Macron Stadium, where he enjoyed a brief spell last season, appears destined to be that place, with Adam Bogdan leaving for Liverpool and Andy Lonergan a free agent.

As Bolton fans witnessed at the back end of last season, Amos' strength is his shot stopping. He certainly makes the most of his 6' 3" frame, often commanding his area and coming for crosses when he featured for the development side.

The general rule of thumb for goalkeeper development is they get better with age, with that in mind; Amos has plenty of time at just 24 years of age to reach his full potential. It will do Amos no harm whatsoever to gain valuable experience and, more importantly, first-team football, something he has been deprived of down the years, in the Championship.

Amos has the ability to maybe one day ply his trade in the Premier League. He will be a more than handy replacement for the recently departed Bogdan. Amos' profile as a young shot-stopper evidently runs parallel to Bogdan, so the move to Bolton would seem a natural fit, an almost like-for-like replacement.

By all accounts, hearing from a few Bolton friends, Amos' performances were a large factor in their revitalisation under Neil Lennon.

Overall, if I was a Wanderers supporter, I would welcome the arrival of Ben Amos. He is a promising goalkeeper who deserves game time, initially at Championship level. In the future, the target will obviously be Premier League football, but that will be a mutual desire for himself and his employers.

If Amos hits the ground running, that aim could become a reality in due course.

We thank Paul once again for being kind enough to write for us, and we implore you to follow him on Twitter @RowlesPaul.