David De Gea’s collapsed transfer could be a blessing in disguise for Manchester United
By Lee Kilby
David De Gea is one of the top three goalkeepers in the world and undoubtedly in a few years he could be the best in the world. So could his collapsed transfer to Real Madrid be a blessing in disguise for Manchester United?
Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal hasn’t played the Spanish keeper so far this season because of interest from Real Madrid, which resulted in a failed deadline-day deal to sign him.
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Both clubs have released statements blaming each other for the collapsed transfer, but with United’s next game quickly approaching, the big question will be, will David De Gea start for Manchester United?
Manchester United fans will be certainly hoping so. The two-time player of the year is a fan favourite at United, and the fans would certainly have been happy when De Gea’s transfer to Real Madrid fell through.
Summer signing Sergio Romero has been United’s number one so far this season and he has done a good job, but when you have a goalkeeper of David De Gea’s quality, and if he is fit, you have to play him.
United’s last game against Swansea highlighted how good a keeper De Gea really is – even though he didn’t play. Both goals Romero conceded weren’t the best of shots and many argued De Gea would have pulled off the saves which could have earned United a win. Romero isn’t the keeper United need if they want to challenge for the Premier League title – De Gea is.
Last season De Gea consistently put in outstanding performances, earning United win after win with his top-class saves. He single-handedly earned United at least an extra 10-15 points last season and without him in goal, it would have been unlikely that United would have qualified for the Champions League.
United’s next game is against Liverpool, and such an important game against arguably their main rival requires the best players in the team. De Gea is United’s best goalkeeper and therefore he should be played.
Euro 2016 is next year and De Gea will want to be Spain’s number one going into the tournament. Based on his form over the past two seasons, he should be Spain’s number one keeper, but only if he plays regular football. David De Gea will want to play for Manchester United this season for that reason, especially after the Spain Manager, Vicente Del Bosque, said he needs to be playing regularly to be in contention for selection. De Gea will also want to play because he is a consummate professional who enjoys playing football.
De Gea’s club and Spain international team-mate Juan Mata, has already said he remains “calm and relaxed” despite his proposed transfer to Real Madrid falling through. “His hunger and professionalism are intact.”
“It’s been a manic few days for him, he’s my friend and I’m there for him for whatever he needs. Right now he’s focused on the two upcoming games for the national team; being here will do him good and he’s going to be as professional as he has been throughout his career.”
David De Gea started for Spain in the 1-0 win against Macedonia on Tuesday – his first competitive game in almost four months – and he kept a clear sheet. “I felt good, I really wanted to play,” De Gea told Spanish television.
“Now I need to keep working and see if I have some good fortune at my club as well. “My future will be the same as now: remain calm, keep working and improving. In concrete terms, enjoy my football. I am happy.”
It is highly likely that De Gea will regain his place as United’s number one, and if he gets back to the way he has been playing over the past two years, he eventually could decide to stay at United. His failed transfer could be a blessing in disguise for Manchester United.
Not only do Manchester United get another season out of De Gea, but it could be longer than that. Real Madrid left it until the last day of the transfer window to enter negotiations with United. Plain and simple, that’s the reason David De Gea is an Manchester United player this season and not a Real Madrid player.
The Spanish goalkeeper could be annoyed by Real Madrid’s carelessness in this deal, enough so he could decide to sign another contract at United. There have several reports in Spain that this could be the case.
The worst-case scenario for Manchester United at this point is De Gea leaving on a free transfer next summer when his contract runs out. Yes they could have got £30 million for him this summer, but that won’t matter to United. His performances helped Manchester United get back into the Champions League – which is worth an estimated £50 million.
Also with all of the sponsorship deals coming in, they didn’t need the money. During this process they haven’t backed down to Real Madrid’s demands, it was the Spanish team who started negotiations on deadline day, showing Manchester United are still as big a club as Real Madrid.