Martin Svidersky has yet to make his debut for Almeria – a year on from joining the club after turning down a contract extension offer from Manchester United.
Last summer, Svidersky was listed by United as the only Academy player whose contract was due to expire to be offered a new deal. However, he decided not to renew his stay at Old Trafford and instead seek first-team opportunities elsewhere, joining Almeria.
The Slovakian followed in the footsteps of Largie Ramazani and Arnau Puigmal in swapping United for the Spanish club but unlike the former, Svidersky has not been able to break into the first-team of the Andalusian side – who earned promotion to La Liga a year ago.
Svidersky had drawn comparisons to Michael Carrick in his playing style and had been predicted for big things either at United or elsewhere, but things have not quite gone to plan for the midfielder.
United beat competition from Chelsea and Liverpool to Svidersky's sought-after signature in 2018, after he previously had trials at Manchester City, West Ham and Celtic. Three weeks before completing his move, he suffered an injury which kept him out for a whole year. Svidersky tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus, requiring significant surgery before heading to England.
Svidersky made his senior debut with United’s Under-23s in September 2020, during an EFL Trophy draw against Rochdale. During the season, he was also named as the club's Scholar of The Year for the Under-18 category.
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An Under-21 international for Slovakia, Svidersky has been playing for Almeria’s B team this season. They play in Spanish football’s regionalised fifth tier from which they failed to win promotion this campaign after a disappointing year.
Svidersky played just ten league matches for Almeria’s B side and had to recover from a difficult start after being sent-off on his debut against El Palo. He has not found the net for the club yet.
Having spent time in three different youth systems in his native Slovakia before his 2018 switch to United, Svidersky may once again find himself on the move in the not too distant future. Almeria retained their top-flight status in Spain and will be looking to strengthen their ranks this summer.
