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Newly signed Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega claims he is not just joining the club to be a cup keeper, but to increase competition for number one shot-stopper Ederson.
The 29-year-old stopper was somewhat of a surprise signing this window for the Premier League champions.
After a lengthy spell with German club Arminia Bielefeld, in which he kept 65 clean sheets in 220 appearances, Ortega became an outside shout for a spot in the German national team.
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This unsurprisingly led to Ortega being subject to interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, as back up to Manuel Neuer.
However, Manchester City swooped in and secured the keeper’s services on a free transfer and will have the German take the place of Zack Steffen in the squad.
Steffen is understood to be keen on a move away to find consistent playing time ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where he looks set to be the United States’ number one shot-stopper.
While Zack Steffen’s involvement in recent seasons was limited to the domestic cup competitions, new signing Stefan Ortega has revealed that his long term plans are to take his game to another level, when asked if his role will be similar to the American’s.
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“In the beginning yes,” Ortega said in his first Manchester City press conference.
“Man City is a big club so they need in every position many guys in the top level.
"I'll try to push Ederson to the big level, learn from Scott Carson who has experience.
Ortega continued, “From day one I will try my best.
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"I'm clear I want to play, not be on the bench but I know the situation.
“It's the first time for me I have a goalkeeper coach from a different country, I will be interested to see how I can learn from the different cultures - and them learning from me.”
Stefan Ortega is joined by fellow Manchester City newcomers Kalvin Phillips, Julian Alvarez, and Erling Haaland as the Etihad club continue to refresh the squad this summer.
The players are due to return to training on Monday, where the host of new signings will begin their bedding in process at the club ahead of the new season - which is set to kick off on July 31, when City face-off with Liverpool in the FA Community Shield.
Topics: Stefan Ortega, Manchester City, Ederson, Premier League, Football, Pep Guardiola
