David De Gea has agreed to sign on to continue as a Manchester United player but with a condition that could alter the course of his career.
De Gea joined Manchester United from Atlético de Madrid in 2011 and is now the club’s longest-serving player. He has also been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League in his 13-year career at Old Trafford.
He has won titles and individual accolades but a drop in form which began six seasons ago has seen him become increasingly unpopular among the United fan base.
Regardless, he has continued to enjoy the favour of all the managers to have sat in the team’s dugout in that time, except for José Mourinho, who almost forced him out.
De Gea has also lost his position in the Spanish national team and has not been called up to the team since 2021. Manchester United believe in his capabilities, however, and have offered him a contract extension in that time.
He is currently on the verge of another extension but the story is different this time. While Erik ten Hag enjoys his work in goal, the Dutch manager is a proponent of building from the back.
This tactic relies on the goalkeeper’s distribution and this is a facet of goalkeeping that De Gea is famously bad at. The former Ajax manager has sanctioned the club’s offer to De Gea but has also made it clear that he will no longer be the undisputed number one at the side.
This hints at a possible goalkeeper hunt in the transfer market ahead of the 2023/24 season. Brentford’s David Raya is a reported target, as is Portugal international Diogo Costa. The Red Devils also have Dean Henderson on their books and the 26-year-old could return to take De Gea’s place in the squad.
De Gea’s misgivings have been amplified by the lack of solid defending by the team’s backline, however. Having been covered by players who have been able to defend well enough and now having to do it all by himself has exposed his shortcomings.
Following his latest gaffe, Erik ten Hag defended him to the media stating that he needs more respect as the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the history of the Premier League.
“He has the most clean sheets in the league so we would not be here in this position without him,” the manager said. “He fully has my belief. No concerns with him. It happens but as a team you have to deal with it, show character, be resilient and bounce back. We want him to stay and extend his contract.”
His new contract, however, will see his £375,000-a-week salary reduced significantly. This will no longer make him the world’s highest-paid goalkeeper.
His future at the club, however, remains uncertain as he could be moved on when ten Hag finds what he wants.
