Manchester United Reportedly Set to Sign Lee Grant on 1-Year Contract

Manchester Untied are reportedly set to sign Lee Grant from Stoke City as back-up to David De Gea and Sergio Romero. 

According to Sam Wallace of the Daily Telegraph, the 35-year-old will come in as third choice, meaning Joel Pereira is set to go out on loan to gain more first-team football.

"He is joining United on a free-agent deal with the likelihood that he will sign a one-year contract," added Wallace. "The top clubs have always found it difficult to have good options at third choice when the likelihood is that the player in question will not feature at all during the season—but it is a position all managers want covered."

Per journalist Tom McDermott, it's not a signing that will get pulses racing at Old Trafford:

As noted in the report, Grant is an experienced operator, having played more than 500 professional games with the likes of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley and Stoke City. Last season he played in the top flight five times for the latter.

In the season before last, with Jack Butland sidelined with a serious injury, Grant was a regular for the Potters. Football writer Pete Smith commented on how important the stopper was that term:

Those personable qualities are likely just as crucial as Grant's goalkeeping skill as things stand, as it's unlikely he'll be playing many games for the Red Devils.

Grant will spend plenty of time on the training pitch with the likes of De Gea and Romero, and it's important there's chemistry between goalkeepers, as so much of their work is done separately from the rest of the squad.

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But De Gea has established himself as one of the standout goalkeepers in the world during his time at Old Trafford. Still, football writer Kristian Sturt outlined how someone like Grant may help the Spaniard:

Under Mourinho it's Romero who has typically been entrusted with the gloves in domestic cup games. In the main, the Argentina international has performed well but never to a standard that would threaten to usurp De Gea.

The chance to be part of the United squad and work alongside someone like De Gea, albeit for just one year, would be difficult to turn down for Grant.