Only a few years ago, Andriy Lunin was playing in the Spanish second division, being loaned to, among others, Oviedo. This season, he even started as Kepa’s understudy, arriving to replace Courtois because the Madrid management did not have complete confidence in Lunin. On Wednesday evening, the Ukrainian nevertheless made a place for himself among the best on the planet in his position, putting out a real masterclass against Manchester City. Several decisive interventions during the 120 minutes of the match, then two well-saved shots on goal to give the Merengues victory. For his first tense match on the European scene, the 25-year-old goalkeeper more than responded.
Enough to confirm his excellent state of form, since performances like that of yesterday, he has already achieved several in recent months. And inevitably, a question arises: what should Real Madrid do with Lunin when Courtois returns from injury for next season? It’s hard to imagine Lunin being content with an understudy role after such a season. A few weeks ago, the Madrid press explained that the Ukrainian was considering leaving at the end of the season to join a club where the starting place would be guaranteed for him…
Lunin changes his mind
And that’s it Relevo reveals new information. Lunin has recently changed his mind, and he now wants to stay in Madrid for many years. The club also wants to keep him for the long term, and everything indicates that a contract extension should be signed relatively quickly. The player wants to show that he can be the starter in Madrid in the long term and Real Madrid are delighted to have him.
The newspaper specifies that the Madrid staff logically did not expect to see Lunin at this level, and was therefore pleasantly surprised by his performances. The thinking heads are delighted to have a player they still consider as an understudy to be so reliable. If Thibaut Courtois should recover his place, we are talking about a goalkeeper who will be 32 years old at the start of the next La Liga. Still a young age for a goalkeeper, but Lunin will perhaps not have to wait that long to take the starting place in Madrid…
