Shay Given is staying put
Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given says he will stay at the club and fight for his place in the team.
Since the Premier League started there have been reports linking Given with a move away from the club due to the fact that Joe Hart has started in the number one position.
However, Given has said that he is not the sort of person who will jump ship and throw his toys out of the pram. As far as Manchester City are concerned there is no better replacement for if Hart gets injured and is forced out of the team.
Given has a number of skills and attributes that will ensure he stays on the fringes of the side and does very well at the club. However, if he does not feature at all this season then he could be prompted to move on.
Skills and attributes
Given was called one of the most under-rated goalkeepers in the world a few years ago. His shot-stopping ability is better than anyone else in the game and he makes saves from positions where it looks certain that the ball will cross the line.
He has great experience at the highest level. He played 354 times for Newcastle United before moving to Manchester City and made 50 already during his career in Manchester. This means he has more knowledge of the game and can get into better positions to save the ball.
It will go down well at City that he has not decided to leave the club. This will earn him some respect for his determination and ambition. This is because the easy way out would have been to join a club where he would have been considered number one.
Given said: "For me, now the window has closed, that (the possibility of a transfer) has gone. I have got to put my head down and work hard and try to get back in the team. I don't feel I have done a lot wrong since I have been at the club."
A time bomb
Given is too good a goalkeeper not to be playing football at the highest level. It could well be a ticking time bomb if he does not feature in Manchester City's plans for this season. If he is still on the fringes of the time by January or next summer then a move away is a strong possibility.
However, there is a lot of football to be played between now and the next transfer window. If Joe Hart picks up an injury then Given can come in and play well. He will then hold the number one spot and this will force Hart into the same situation that Given is currently experiencing.
He added: "I suppose it's about proving the manager wrong and trying to work hard to get back in the team and if I get a chance, taking that and seeing how it goes. It is frustrating, but this is life at a big club which can buy as many players as it wants. You have got to be patient."
Betting advice
Manchester City are very lucky in the respect that if one of their main goalkeepers gets an injury then the whole team will virtually remain just as good. This is because Hart and Given are just as good as each other and it would have almost been a flip of the coin to see which one held the number one slot this season.
If Given comes in at some point then there's no reason to change your betting patterns. He will be just as effective in goal as Hart.
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