Western Counties Soccer

Everton long time goalkeeper until last year revealed why he exited Manchester United after four years at Old Trafford.

The bearded shot stopper wrote his autobiography titled ‘The Keeper’ saying that some players would have been content being just a back up in a top team like United but he wanted more.

Red Devils former manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed Edwin Van Der Sar to relegate Howard to the back seat, with the MLS player now revealing that he demanded to leave the club following the action. Tim Howard joined Everton in 2007 and played for almost a decade until he was recently replaced.

“There’s great fame, money and royal treatment. And like a backup quarterback in football, the backup keeper is rarely used, so all this would come without tremendous day-in, day-out pressure. But it wasn’t for me.

“I had things I wanted to accomplish. Dan arranged a meeting with Manchester United chief executive David Gill. He told David what I wanted respectfully, firmly, clear,” Howard wrote of the rationale for his eventual exit.

Howard added that Gill wanted him to remain as a reliable number two to cover for Van Der Sar. He however added that Gill respected the fact that he wanted regular playtime as a player who turned pro already. He wrote that Dan and gill agreed to let him go if he played for an extra year as a good backup. The club eventually helped him move to Everton to get first team action.

Howard was a reliable hand for many years for the Toffees until he was relegated to second place after injuries and inconsistency became a thing for the then new manager. He plays in the MLS now.