Former Hartlepool United goalkeeper set to sign for Premier League giants

According to Football Insider's transfer correspondent Pete O'Rourke, Ruben Amorim's side are working on a deal to bring Woodman to Old Trafford as the club's third choice goalkeeper, with veteran Tom Heaton set to depart this summer.

Woodman, now 28, spent a month at Pools in 2014, signing on loan from Newcastle to gain experience of a first team environment.

Although he never played for Pools and was an unused substitute for six matches before returning to St James' Park, Woodman has gone on to have a successful career and has represented the likes of Crawley, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Swansea, where he was part of the side that reached the Championship play-off semi-finals.

Woodman, who was capped by England up to under-21 level, signed for Championship side Preston in the summer of 2022 and was voted as the club's player of the year in his first season at Deepdale. Woodman has remained a regular for the Lancashire side and has racked up more than 130 appearances, including 44 this season. He is out of contract with North End and looks set to become Ruben Amorim's first summer signing.

If he does end up at the Theatre of Dreams this summer, then Woodman will be keen to banish some bad memories. Having started the 2021/22 season as Newcastle's number one goalkeeper, he made errors leading to goals by Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo against United and lost his place in the side.

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