Kovar Lifts Lid on Ten Hag's Double Axe: From United Benchwarmer to PSV Title Contender

Matej Kovar hasn't minced his words about Erik ten Hag giving him the old heave-ho – not once, but twice. The Czech shot-stopper, once a promising talent at Manchester United, has spilled the beans in a candid chat with ESPN. It's the kind of story that'd have you raising a pint in disbelief down the local.

Rising Through the Red Devil Ranks

Back in 2018, Kovar rocked up at Old Trafford from his hometown club 1. FC Slovácko. He wasted no time, bagging a debut for the Under-18s in a thumping 4-1 win over Everton. The lad quickly became a mainstay, climbing the youth ladder and even warming the bench for a senior Europa League clash against Astana in 2019.

By the 2021-22 Premier League squad, he was rubbing shoulders with the big boys – though competitive first-team minutes remained a pipe dream. Loans followed to Swindon Town, Burton Albion, and then Sparta Prague, where he hit the jackpot. Helping Sparta lift the Czech First League title earned him Goalkeeper of the Season gongs. Proper hero stuff.

Pre-Season Promise, Then the Ten Hag Chop

2023 pre-season had fans buzzing. Kovar slotted in for the second half against Leeds United in a 2-0 victory, then went the full 90 versus Lyon in Edinburgh, securing a clean sheet with nerves of steel. Looked like a lad ready to fight for a spot, right?

Enter Ten Hag. With Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir arriving as new No.1 options, the Dutch gaffer showed Kovar the door. Off to Bayer Leverkusen he went, where he played his part in their historic Bundesliga triumph. Talk about trading United's bench for silverware.

Fate's funny like that. Ten Hag later pitched up at Leverkusen as Xabi Alonso's short-lived successor, managing just three games before getting the boot himself. Kovar, though, insists the boss had zilch to do with his next move to PSV Eindhoven. "No, I don’t think so," he told ESPN. "My future was sorted before he even arrived. At 24 or 25, I needed games to prove myself. We barely crossed paths."

PSV Stardom and United 'What Ifs'

Since swapping Leverkusen for PSV, it's been all upward for Kovar. As first-choice keeper, he's racked up 24 Eredivisie appearances, including six clean sheets. With a whopping 19-point lead over Feyenoord, the title's in the bag – his second league winners' medal in as many seasons.

Looking back, Kovar's United stint feels like a 'what if' tale. Five-and-a-half years, loans that built his game, pre-season cameos that teased glory – yet Ten Hag pulled the trigger twice. First by selling him amid the keeper overhaul, then indirectly at Leverkusen (though Kovar says nah).

It's a reminder that footy's brutal. One man's bench is another's launchpad. Kovar's thriving in Eindhoven, while Ten Hag licks wounds back in Manchester. Who'd have thunk a Czech kid from Slovácko would outpace the gaffer's plans?

As reported by The Peoples Person via OneFootball, this revelation adds spice to Kovar's glow-up. United fans might rue the day they let him slip – or maybe not, with Onana's heroics. Either way, grab a lager and toast the keeper who's living the dream.

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