Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has announced that he intends to hang up his boots at Old Trafford amid speculation surrounding his future.
The Spain international has now entered the final six months of his contract with the Red Devils and is free to begin discussions with foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement.
De Gea, who has been with Man United since 2011, could then depart on a free transfer at the end of the season, and the Red Devils have not triggered a reported one-year extension clause in his deal
The 31-year-old has held his position as Man United’s number one under Erik ten Hag, having kept Dean Henderson and Martin Dubravka – who has since returned to parent club Newcastle United – at bay.
Nevertheless, the Red Devils have been linked with a host of goalkeepers in the event that De Gea does leave, namely Jan Oblak, Jordan Pickford, Yann Sommer and Diogo Costa.
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Crystal Palace’s Jack Butland is also understood to be of interest to Man United, who have been left with Tom Heaton as their senior backup following Dubravka’s return to Newcastle.
However, speaking to Sky Sports News, De Gea – who turns 33 in November – expressed his desire to continue in goal for the Red Devils until he ends his playing career.
When asked about the contract talks rumbling on in the background, De Gea responded: “I’m very relaxed. I just focus on training, perform as best as I can. But, for sure, it’s going to end in a good way.
“I hope (to stay for the rest of my career). I was saying this is my club, I’ve been here many, many years and it’s a huge honour to be here and I’m so happy here.”
Rather than trigger a one-year extension until 2024, as they have done for Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford, Fred and Luke Shaw, Man United are understood to be discussing a more long-term agreement with De Gea.
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Since arriving from Atletico Madrid for a €25m (£22m) fee in the summer of 2011, De Ge has managed 177 clean sheets in 510 appearances for Man United across all tournaments.
The 32-year-old boasts 12 shut-outs from 23 games in the 2022-23 season, posting his most recent one in Tuesday’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
De Gea has won the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and three Community Shields at the Theatre of Dreams, although he is now approaching his sixth year without a piece of club silverware.
Man United moved level on points with third-placed Newcastle United courtesy of their three-goal win over Bournemouth, and the fourth-placed Red Devils sit two points clear of Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand.
Ten Hag’s side next begin their quest for FA Cup glory when they tackle Everton at Old Trafford on Friday evening.
Ex-Man Utd star says Rashford can join Mbappe and Haaland as world’s best
Former Manchester United star Louis Saha has compared Marcus Rashford’s talents to that of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland after the England forward continued his hot streak against Bournemouth
Marcus Rashford has been in rich goalscoring form for Manchester United (Image: Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford has been told he can score upwards of 30 goals per season and join Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland as the world’s best players.
Manchester United star Rashford scored against Bournemouth earlier this week to continue his recent hot streak, bagging the third goal in the home side’s comfortable 3-0 victory. The 25-year-old has three goals in his last three Premier League games either side of the Qatar World Cup, bringing his tally to 12 for the season in all competitions.
And former Old Trafford hero Saha believes United’s no.10 is on course to not only match the talents of Mbappe and Haaland, but potentially even better them.
Speaking to Compare.bet, Saha said: “He [Rashford] is a player who can score 30-40 goals a season. There’s no doubt about it. He can do it all and why can’t Marcus Rashford do as much or even more than Haaland or Mbappe?
“Those two guys have great pace and awareness that very few players have. They’re so good at getting in the right areas and scoring different sorts of goals, which is what Marcus is starting to do.”
Louis Saha believes Rashford can be as good as Erling Haaland (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Saha also compared Rashford to Kylian Mbappe (Image: Matthieu Mirville/DPPI/REX/Shutterstock)
Saha also spoke positively about Erik ten Hag’s influence on the England forward, going so far as to suggest the Dutchman had changed Rashford’s life.
“Half way through his first year I’m really impressed with him,” Saha said. “He has changed Marcus Rashford’s life, and even Anthony Martial is smiling now and looks to have improved. There is still hope with Maguire and he has dealt with that situation really well.
“There doesn’t seem to be any players that are unhappy now, and they are working hard and getting the results their performances deserve.”
Saha spoke positively about Rashford and Erik ten Hag (Image: Sky Sports)
Rashford’s rich vein of form has helped propel United back into the conversation for not only the Champions League, but perhaps even the title race.
The Red Devils have won their last four matches in the top-flight and now find themselves just nine points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
SOURCE: sportsmole.co.uk, dailystar.co.uk
