Aston Villa: Signing of Shay Given Hurts Development of Brad Guzan

At the beginning of the summer, many American fans had hoped that Brad Guzan would get his shot at the being the top goalkeeper at Aston Villa, but that hope was crushed today as the Villains rescued Shay Given from his Manchester City hell.

Guzan was in line to become the top keeper after fellow American Brad Friedel left on a free transfer to join Tottenham at the beginning of the summer transfer window.

But when former manager Gerard Houllier quit due to health concerns and former Birmingham manager Alex McLeish was named as the new manager, Guzan had reason for concern. That concern became reality for Guzan today as Given was signed.

With Aston Villa not competing in any European competitions, there is no real room for Guzan to give Given a break in goal at all and it could be time to move on for the 26-year-old keeper, who was once thought as the next great American keeper.

The good news for American fans, if there is any, is that Guzan is still only 26 and that the prime age for goalkeepers is after they hit the age of 30. Also, Guzan did get some playing time last season while on loan at Hull City, so he has not been sitting the bench the whole time he has been at Villa, which is now at three years since he joined from Chivas USA.

There are some options left open for Guzan to continue his development. One thing he should not do is return to Major League Soccer. If he wants to develop into his full potential, Guzan must stay in Europe.

One option for Guzan is to leave Aston Villa for good and look for a club in one of the lower leagues in Europe—just like Jozy Altidore did in his move from Spain to Holland—to progress and make his presence known in the American goalkeeping future.

Guzan could also be sent out on loan again, but that they may restrict the number of clubs that are looking at him.

In all honesty, Guzan should go to one of the Scandinavian leagues where Americans have succeeded before or to Belgium, Holland or even the Championship in England to gain consistent first-team play.