De Gea bids United farewell: where next for the Spanish keeper?
The 32-year-old keeper says it’s “the right time to undertake a new challenge” as he leaves Man United as a free agent.
David de Gea took to social media to bid farewell to Manchester United fans and thank them for their support during the past 12 years. The Spaniard joined United in July 2011 on a €25 million move from Atlético Madrid and leaves a free agent after failing to renegotiate terms. During his time at Old Trafford, the 32-year-old racked up 415 Premier League appearances and 55 in the Champions League. He moves on after having won all of the domestic honours (Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Carabao Cup and Community Shield) as well as the Europa League. He also picked up the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award four times - becoming the first United keeper to win the award in 2014.
Goodbye message
De Gea posted a message on his Twitter account, which read: “I just wanted to send this farewell message to all Manchester United supporters. I would like to express my unwavering gratitude and appreciation for the love from the last 12 years. We’ve achieved a lot since my dear Sir Alex Ferguson brought me to this club. I took incredible pride everytime I pulled on this shirt, to lead the team, to represent this institution, the biggest club in the world was an honour only bestows upon a few lucky footballers. It’s been an unforgettable and successful period since I came here. I didn’t think from leaving Madrid as a young boy we would achieve what we did together. Now, it’s the right time to undertake a new challenge, to push myself again in new surroundings. Manchester will always be in my heart, Manchester has shaped me and will never leave me. We’ve seen it all”.
United boss Erik ten Hag meanwhile, said, “It takes great quality and character to reach the level of even playing one game for Manchester United. To do it 545 times over 12 years is a special achievement, particularly in the goalkeeping position where every game puts you in the spotlight.
Contract talks derailed
The Spanish goalkeeper has been eligible to negotiate with other clubs since January but there was some hope that a new deal could be struck with United. Any chance of that happened had evaporated by the end of May, leaving De Gea to ride out the remaining weeks of his contract until it expired on 30 June.
So where could the madrileño end up next? If he decides to stay in England, Tottenham is an option with both Hugo Lloris and Fraser Forster entering the final year of their contracts. Chelsea is another possibility - Eduoard Mendy recently left to join Al-Ahli and the club is considering offloading Kepa Arrizabalaga to finance a bid for Inter Milan’s André Onana - who incidentally, United have in mind as De Gea’s replacement.
Goalkeeping duties at Newcastle are shared by Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka with Loris Karius, who has one year left in his contract, as third choice. However, with the Magpies back in the Champions League for the first time in almost 20 years, De Gea’s vast experience could come in handy...
A return to Atleti looks unlikely - and few LaLiga clubs are on the lookout for a keeper. Villarreal, with veteran Pepe Reina probably set to retire at the end of the season, could be an option. Further afield, there’s MLS and the Saudi Pro League.