- Joined Red Devils in 2011
- 11th on all-time appearance list
- Boss favours possession-based game
WHAT HAPPENED? The 31-year-old shot-stopper is the longest-serving player at Old Trafford, having savoured Premier League title success under Sir Alex Ferguson on the back of a 2011 transfer from Atletico Madrid, but questions are being asked of his value in the present. With Dutch tactician Ten Hag looking for his side to play out from the back, De Gea’s shortcomings with a ball at his feet could lead to a change between the sticks being made in 2023.
WHAT THEY SAID: A legendary former United defender has told the Gary Neville podcast of some big decisions in Manchester: "We all know where Ten Hag wants to get this United team, he wants 75 per cent possession, players that can handle the ball, defenders can handle the ball and the goalkeeper needs to be brilliant on the ball.
"I suspect with David de Gea, his United career is going to be short-lived under Ten Hag. He's [Ten Hag] going to be adamant that his philosophy of playing out from the back, playing those risky passes to the midfield that we see with Ederson all the time, that we no longer see as risky because they do it so well, is something that he's striving for and that he wants to get to."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: De Gea has entered the final year of his contract with United, but there is a 12-month extension option in his deal that could be triggered and prevent free agency from being hit at the end of the current campaign.
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Next Match
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR DE GEA? The long-serving Spain international, who is a four-time Player of the Year at Old Trafford, has figured in 496 games for United – placing him 11th on the club’s all-time list for most appearances.
