There may be just a matter of weeks left in the season, although Manchester United are still yet to tie down long-serving goalkeeper David De Gea to a new deal, with the experienced Spaniard's current deal set to expire this summer.
As per The Athletic, while the 32-year-old has rejected a recent offer from the club regarding a potential extension, the belief is that the former Atletico Madrid man will sign on the dotted line sooner rather than later, as well as accepting a reduction on his reported £375k-per-week salary.
Despite the expectancy that the 45-cap machine will stay at Old Trafford beyond the end of this season, it does appear that Erik ten Hag is still eyeing potential replacements for the Red Devils' number one in the long-term, amid reports linking United with a move for Valencia stopper, Giorgi Mamardashvili.
According to transfer insider Dean Jones – in his article for GIVEMESPORT – the club's chief goalkeeping scout Tony Coton has seemingly taken a liking to the Georgian giant, having made 'repeated visits' to see the 22-year-old in action this season.
The report suggests that the 6 foot 6 colossus would be the 'first-choice' option to replace De Gea at present, despite various claims that the youngster – who is also attracting interest from both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – could be worth as much as €100m (£88m), due to a release clause in his current deal with the La Liga side.
Would Giorgi Mamardashvili be a good fit for Man United?
While the Premier League giants do currently have academy graduate Dean Henderson on their books, the aforementioned Jones revealed that the 26-year-old 'could be sold' this summer, having been unable to dislodge De Gea as the starting option at the club.
The England international also somewhat burned his bridges with his parent club following an explosive interview last summer, having made the decision to join Nottingham Forest on loan for the current campaign.
The Whitehaven-born menace is no longer the first-choice pick at the City Ground, however, following the signing of Keylor Navas from Paris Saint-Germain in January, with Henderson hardly showcasing why he should be the successor to De Gea back at the Theatre of Dreams.
As such, it could well be Mamardashvili who represents the ideal heir to the former Spain international moving forward, with the "Georgian Batman" – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – having shone at the Mestalla in recent times.
Despite Valencia currently fearing for their future in La Liga, the towering ace has done his utmost to try and keep the club in the top flight, having already made 79 saves in the league this season, a greater record than that of De Gea (77).
The younger man also appears far more ready to spring off his line in order to deny an opponent as he ranks in the top 18% among his European peers for average distance of defensive actions – meaning distance from goal of all defensive actions – while De Gea has appeared more rooted to his goal line, as he ranks in just the top 47% in that regard.
Equally, despite the plight of his current side, it is actually Mamardashvili who has conceded fewer goals than that of the current United man (32 vs 37), as well as enjoying a better save per game average (2.9 vs 2.7).
That should indicate that while it may prove costly to prise the former Dinamo Tbilisi man from Spain, the exciting talent could well represent the future of Man United's goalkeeping ranks.