Manchester United were dealt with a major blow earlier this week when manager Jose Mourinho revealed that he was not confident about star goalkeeper David De Gea’s contract situation. (h/t Sky Sports)
The Spanish international is in the final year of his contract with the Red Devils. The club can extend it by another twelve months but talks over a new contract have been going for months now and there has been little progress. And Mourinho, speaking on the situation, told Sky Sports:
“I am not confident. I cannot find the word in English, but let’s see what happens.
“Only the club, David and his people can answer that. 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.”
De Gea was coy on the topic when asked about any development in the negotiations. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, the Spaniard said:
“What matters is the team and all of us being focused on what we need to focus on, which is winning games, rather than contracts or any topics that can be a distraction. What matters is focusing on football.”
De Gea’s situation has led to Serie A champions Juventus planning a move for him at the end of the season (h/t Mirror). With United finding themselves in a bit of a sticky situation, should they sell their No.1 in the summer?
Absolutely not.
De Gea has been with the 20-time English champions for over seven years now, having joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011. Barring a difficult first year or so, he has consistently been one of their best players.
The 27-year-old, who currently earns £200,000-a-week, has racked up 327 appearances for the Red Devils, keeping 121 clean sheets in the process. He has won a Premier League title, a UEFA Europa League trophy along with the FA Cup and the League Cup trophies as well.
The Spanish international has been named in the PFA Team of the Year five times in his seven seasons in English football, starting from 2014/15 to 2017/18. He has been awarded the club’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award four times in the last five years, while he also picked up the Premier League Golden Glove last season.
Largely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the business, De Gea is just 27 and is bound to get better hereon. The 2018/19 season might not have started on the best of notes for the former Atletico man but he has produced a number of fine saves.
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There have been countless instances of the Spaniard single-handedly keeping the team in the game, making sensational, awe-inspiring stops one after the other. And his importance to this Manchester United team cannot be overstated.
At a time when the club are struggling to live up to the expectations, losing a figurehead like De Gea will only have a negative impact on the squad and the supporters. And hence, Manchester United should do whatever it takes to ensure they retain their star No.1 for years to come.
