After eight years at Manchester United, does David de Gea need a change of scenery?
David de Gea has undoubtedly been one of United’s best players for the past couple of seasons. With the Spaniard’s contract about to expire, what does the future hold for the shot-stopper? The 28 year-old arrived in Manchester back in 2011 for £20 million, a British transfer record for a goalkeeper at the time. Since then, he has played 330 games for The Red Devils and kept 121 clean sheets.
The Madrid native really struggled in his early days, guilty of multiple blunders which led to the team conceding goals. He was eventually dropped from the starting XI for a short period of time. Making a strong comeback, De Gea came good on his reputation and began pulling off some outrageous saves. One of his best performances includes a 14-save masterclass against Arsenal, equalling the record for most saves in a match.
De Gea’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season and he’s already rejected United’s initial offer for an extension. The Spanish international has been heavily linked to Real Madrid in recent seasons, but Courtois’ move to the Bernabéu has cooled Madrid’s interest and sparked rumours about a move to Juventus.
Mourinho not confident?
When asked about his keeper’s future, José Mourinho stated: “I am not confident. But I’m not also… how do you say the opposite of confident? I am not worried, I am not more than worried. I cannot find the word in English, but let’s see what happens. Only the club, David and his people can answer that.” José should certainly try his best to convince the Spaniard to stay at the Theatre of Dreams – even if it means pulling a few strings with the wage cap.
https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1054841205836529664
Mourinho continued: “My comment is only that everyone knows how good he is, how important he is for Manchester United. And if the club want to be better than it is and not worse, obviously it would be very important to keep David.”
David de Gea has been the Premier League’s best in his position and has single-handedly saved United on multiple occasions. Having him in the side really gives you confidence as you can rest assured that if the defence gets beaten, there’s someone special waiting in goal. Even so, the club’s issues at the back have reached a new high this season as they’ve already conceded 18 goals in the league.
Happy birthday @D_DeGea— Manchester United’s player of the year in:
2014
2015
2016
2018— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 7, 2018
Keeping that in mind, The Red Devils need De Gea in goal now more than ever as their defensive woes have shown no signs of fading. The only question that remains is, can Manchester United get the 28 year-old’s signature on a new contract and keep him at the Theatre of Dreams?