Manchester United face off against Aston Villa for the second time in five days on Thursday night, with Erik ten Hag expected to make a number of changes to the side that lost to the Midlands outfit in the Premier League at the weekend. The Reds will be hoping to secure their spot in the next round by knocking Unai Emery's team out, which would go some way to avenging the Premier League defeat at Villa Park.
It was a disappointing defeat for Ten Hag and his men, and their first in the league since the start of October. The upcoming EFL Cup clash, then, provides United with a chance to get back to winning ways, while also allowing some of the club's fringe players to get much-needed minutes under their belts.
Martin Dubravka, for example, is someone that is yet to feature for the Reds since arriving from Newcastle United on loan in the summer transfer window. The 33-year-old goalkeeper was signed as competition for first-choice shot-stopper David de Gea, but the Slovak is yet to make his United debut.
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The goalkeeper arrived at Old Trafford with a good pedigree, and is highly thought of by several of his former teammates and opponents. However, he is yet to play a single minute for the Reds and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is set to hold talks with the player about his future.
Given that the Reds signed Dubravka on a season-long loan for a fee of £2million in the summer transfer window, his lack of game time has surprised many people. Despite this, should he feature against Villa on Thursday night, like many expect him to, he will have the chance to show exactly why he was so highly regarded at Newcastle.
Tom Heaton, who plays alongside Dubvraka at Old Trafford, is also yet to play for the Reds in his second spell at club. Unlike the Slovakia international, though, the Englishman was brought in as a number three, and probably didn't expect to be playing often for United.
In 2020, when Heaton was playing for Aston Villa, he was asked if he thought Dubravka was the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premier League.
"I don't think so. I don't think he is underrated at all, actually", the shot-stopper said. "He has had an excellent season. He has been good for Newcastle over a long period of time now and he has been a massive part of their unbeaten run.
"Some of his saves have been excellent, his all round-game has been really impressive. Certainly from my point of view he hasn't been underrated, but whether the wider public don't give him enough credit, possibly.
"But I certainly think he has been excellent. For me, his agility stands out with the way he can move his body and get to things, whether it be the top corner or the bottom corner. That agility is a key part of his game."
Dubravka played every minute of Newcastle's 2018/19 and 2019/20 league season and was an important player in maintaining Newcastle's top-flight status in recent years. The Magpies have the option to recall him from his loan in January, and, right now, it wouldn't be surprising if they did.
However, while the goalkeeper is yet to show what he can do at Old Trafford - through a lack of opportunity - he can prove that Ten Hag was right to recruit a competent number two to challenge De Gea this term. The Spaniard has been solid so far this season, and how much of that is down to Dubvraka pushing him in training is impossible to tell, but it certainly won't be hindering his form.
The 33-year-old is unlikely to feature regularly for the Reds for the remainder of the season, but if he does stay at United, there are matches that he has better chances of playing in than others. With the clash against Villa being the penultimate game before the season pauses for the World Cup in Qatar, Ten Hag might chose to rest De Gea - just in case the Spaniard's is named in his country's squad for the upcoming tournament.
Should Dubvraka continue to be starved of opportunities at Old Trafford, questions will be asked about the decision to bring the goalkeeper to the club. However, should the Slovak deliver when, or if, he gets his chance, it will show that United were right to add reinforcements in that area, regardless of how often they might actually feature.
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