Former Swindon Town Player Drawing Championship And European Interest

The 23-year-old Czech shot-stopper, who spent the first half of the 20/21 season on loan at The Robins who were in League One at the time, is expected to depart Old Trafford this summer, with Hull City and Red Star Belgrade set to battle it out for his signature.

The Tigers, who finished 15th in the second tier last season, are keen to make a move to sign the goalkeeper on a loan deal but with The Red Devils willing to let the goalkeeper leave, the club may also consider bringing Kovar in on a permanent deal.

As for Red Star Belgrade, who went invincible as they clinched the title in the Serbian SuperLiga last season, they are looking at a serious offer to bring the 23-year-old to the club.

This comes after Sparta Prague, the team in which Kovar was on loan at last season, wanted to sign him on a permanent deal, but are unwilling to match Manchester United’s valuation as they think it’s higher than what they initially wanted to pay.

Kovar made the temporary switch to Swindon in 2020 when the club were plying their trade in League One, making 18 appearances for the club in all competitions, only keeping one clean sheet before being recalled in January, ending his season-long loan at The County Ground early.

The goalkeeper also had a spell at Burton Albion for the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan from the Premier League giants, going on to make six appearances for The Brewers and keeping four clean sheets during his short stint at The Pirelli Stadium.

Matej Kovar probably didn’t have the best of times at Swindon, although in his defence, he was part of a struggling side that ended up going back down to League Two that season, conceding 89 goals in the process.

In saying that, it has been a good couple of years for Kovar, especially during his temporary spell at Sparta Prague, where he was able to keep 11 clean sheets in 32 appearances at the Czech club as they went on to win the Czech First League.

With Hull City’s and Red Star Belgrade’s interest, it’s sure to be a real battle in the race for his signature, with Manchester United willing to let the shot-stopper depart the club this summer. Whoever was to snap him up is adding a decent goalkeeper to their books.

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The player initially shared an update from his hospital bed on his personal social media accounts. However, the news has now officially been confirmed by current club Hibernian in an update posted on their Twitter page.

The enigmatic forward was subject to transfer interest from Colchester United and Leyton Orient, as exclusively revealed by The Real EFL. His former manager Ben Garner was keen on a reunion as he continues to build a squad capable of playing his distinctive style of football.

However, the chance to play in League One with Leyton Orient was the preferred option. The move was progressing until routine pre-season medical checks produced a serious heart diagnosis that has resulted in surgery and a four to six month spell on the sidelines. The medical issue rules out any potential move for the player this summer, whilst a move in January very much depends on his recovery.

His move to Hibernian has not produced the results, fans nor the player had hoped for as public clashes with manager Lee Johnson, social media issues and a lack of game time have resulted in frustration for all parties involved.

The player does however appear to be in high spirits as he poked fun at League One club Port Vale following their thrashing at the hands of Barnsley. McKirdy was on the receiving end of Vale fans’ mockery after skying his penalty kick in the play-off semi final loss in the 2021/22 season. He has also suggested that he will be starting his own golfing YouTube channel where he will interview selected guests.

Harry is a unique individual, he allows his personality to show unlike the majority of modern footballers. I’m gutted that he has been unable to leave somewhere to enjoy his football again. I suspect if he is able to, he will still move in the Winter window. As Hibernian under Lee Johnson is not the right fit for him.