I think we can all agree that David de Gea is currently enduring a bit of a rough spell with Manchester United.
The once-dominant goalkeeper appears to have temporarily lost his magic touch which, coupled with increasing uncertainty around his contract, has led to intense speculation about his future. However, for De Gea, moving away from Old Trafford should not even be an option.
His recent form is incredibly similar to De Gea‘s first season with United. The young goalkeeper was disappointing with concerning regularity, but do you know what happened next? He recovered to become arguably the greatest goalkeeper in the world.
United helped make De Gea into that shot-stopping machine, and that talent is still there to see, it has just been lost somewhere along the way. United found it first time around, and they can do it again.
After the Red Devils had worked their magic, De Gea became one of the fans’ favourite players. Even supporters of rival clubs could do nothing but congratulate the Spaniard for one unbelievable save after another.
Safe hands 😄@D_DeGea #MUFC pic.twitter.com/m4Eyt1p1BW
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 21, 2019
Why would De Gea want to give up that relationship with fans? United supporters love him, and rivals can’t stand how highly they rate him. He has the kind of influence which most players can only hope of having.
Leaving the club to join another European powerhouse would mean De Gea would have to forge a new relationship with supporters, and that doesn’t always go well. Take Thibaut Courtois for example – the Belgian was supposed to be a dominant force when he left Chelsea for Real Madrid, but quickly became the poster boy for arguably the worst period in the club’s history.
Is that a risk that De Gea should take? No way.
It’s clear that his heart is still in Manchester. He has spoken (via The Telegraph) about his desire to captain the Red Devils going forward, so it’s clear he is thinking about a future with United. He wants to stay at Old Trafford and United want him to stay. This should all be easier than it is proving to be.
If he were to leave United, where would he even go? None of Real, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona need him. Paris Saint-Germain recently signed Keylor Navas. Is Juventus the only option?
Yes, perhaps the Serie A side would be open to replacing Wojciech Szczesny, but they don’t really need to. The Polish international has fought off competition from both Gianluigi Buffon and Mattia Perin, and he could easily keep an underperforming De Gea out of the team.
If he goes to Juventus and sits on the bench, there’s no chance he regains his spot in the Spain national team from Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga. He needs a platform upon which to prove himself, and United offers him about as big of a platform as you’re likely to find.
It’s time for De Gea to get his head down and work on improving. When he did that last time, there were utterly spectacular results. With just one more push, De Gea could have United flying back up the Premier League table where they belong.