USA goalkeeper Zack Steffen ‘doesn’t think he’ll go back’ to Manchester City after loan spell
USA goalkeeper Zack Steffen reveals he ‘doesn’t have any plans to go back’ to Manchester City after his loan spell at second-tier Middlesbrough expires
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American goalkeeper Zack Steffen has claimed he will not return to Premier League side Manchester City when his loan spell at Middlesbrough comes to an end.
The 27-year-old left the Premier League champions on a season-long loan deal last summer in search of more game time ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
Despite starting for Middlesbrough this season, Steffen failed to earn a call up to Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT roster but his switch to Middlesbrough does not appear to have been in vain.
Playing under former Manchester United star Michael Carrick at the Championship club, Steffen described the team’s atmosphere as ‘another brotherhood’ like the US national team.
And he appears so happy at the English club that he doesn’t intend to return to the Etihad.
American goalkeeper Zack Steffen has claimed he will not return to Manchester City
Steffen left the Premier League champions last summer in search of more game time
‘I don’t think I’ll go back,’ he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. ‘No, I want to be playing. Although I had a great time at City and I love those guys, and obviously [it’s] an amazing club, I don’t really have any plans to go back.’
Steffen has made 35 appearances for Middlesbrough this season, keeping nine clean sheets and conceding 41 goals.
It is unclear if he intends to stay at Middlesbrough on a permanent deal when his loan spell ends or look for another club to establish himself as a starter.
Manchester City brought in free agent Stefan Ortega to replace Steffen as Ederson’s No. 2.
The latest chapter in Steffen’s career is not his first spell away from City since he joined the Premier League champions from MLS side Colombus Crew for $7.5million.
The USMNT keeper spent the 2019-2020 season on loan at Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf, before suffering a back injury which curtailed a promising spell.
Steffen failed to ever cause Ederson any concern over his place in the side, and has played only 21 games for the Cityzens, 16 of those coming in the FA Cup and Carabao Cups.
There had also been doubts about Steffen’s future at City since his blunder contributed to a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup semifinal last season.
Steffen was once considered the USA’s No. goalkeeper and his omission from the World Cup roster came as a surprise to many fans.
The 27-year-old appears to enjoy the atmosphere at Championship side Middlesbrough
There were doubts about Steffen’s future at City since a blunder in a FA Cup loss to Liverpool
But, while admitted he struggled with not going to Qatar, he conceded that the USMNT’s other goalkeepers, Matt Turner, Sean Johnson and Ethan Horvath, had been more consistent.
‘The ‘keepers — Matt [Turner], Sean [Johnson] and Ethan [Horvath] — I mean, they were consistent and they were with the team throughout the whole cycle,’ Steffen said, ‘and Gregg just decided to go with them.’
‘It was tough,’ he added. ‘God tested me. It definitely wasn’t easy, as you can imagine — just surprising and, yeah, just not what I expected. And it wasn’t part of my plan, but I know that God ultimately has a greater plan and path for me.’
Steffen has returned to the US squad for the current international break as one of three goalkeepers on the 24-player squad for this month’s Concacaf Nations League group stage games.
