By the end of last season, Manchester City had two No.1 goalkeepers. Now it is a question as to whether they have any.
Stefan Ortega stole the limelight last year with the save of the season from Son Heung-min in the dying moments of City's penultimate Premier League game. A Tottenham goal would have given Arsenal control of the title race with just one game to go, so the stop could not have been more important.
A poor performance in the FA Cup Final defeat to United did not stop talk of Ortega taking over the gloves for Pep Guardiola as he signed a new deal and Ederson sought a move to Saudi Arabia. City's No.1 since 2017 had been hurt by the acclaim for Ortega and explored a new challenge despite public reassurance from his manager that he was still first choice.
Private meetings followed in the summer between the two to ensure Ederson stayed despite firm bids for him, but all has not been well. The Brazilian can count three Premier League assists to his name this season but there have been some poor goals conceded and - more worryingly - another year of regular absences.
Ortega was back in goal for Brighton on Saturday to show more inconsistency in the backline after Ederson was ruled out with an abdominal problem. For all that the No.1 does bring when he does play, if he can't be in the side more regularly City will have to consider a replacement.
Then there's Ortega, who briefly replaced Ederson this season but has struggled to produce his best form just as all of his teammates have. He hasn't really kicked on from his hero moment at Spurs, and looks short of confidence when he does play which further hinders the team.
The new contract that he signed was only until the end of next season, and comments he gave this
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