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Sir Alex Ferguson has done a lot for Manchester United. But the greatest gift he gave United towards the fag end of his career is a lanky goalkeeper who was, at the time, wet behind his ears.
Criticized and crucified for the occasional mistake, de Gea had a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that there's no room for error when you're playing for a club as big as Manchester United. When the team started struggling, quick on the heels of the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, every single one of their players suffered a dip in form. But not David de Gea.
Inarguably Manchester United's best player over the last half a decade, de Gea has become a cult hero at Old Trafford and is on a mission to prove that he is perhaps the greatest of all time by pulling off one unbelievable save after the next, week in and week out.
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Of course, as the world sang his praises, the European biggies took note and came knocking. Thanks to a fax machine that went phut on the deadline day of 2015, Manchester United fans got what they wanted and de Gea stayed put at Old Trafford.
But Real Madrid have always been lurking, waiting for an opportunity to strike. However, David de Gea looks determined to stay at Manchester United and we take a look at the reasons why:
#5 David de Gea is the best player in an improving Manchester United outfit
Following the duff spells they went through under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, Manchester United finally look like they're ready to settle down under Jose Mourinho.
Sitting 2nd on the Premier League table, albeit quite a few yards behind Manchester City, United fans will claim that they're slowly rolling back into relevance in Europe and it would be hard to argue with them.
And in a team that has the likes of Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata, it is David de Gea who is considered the most indispensable. United simply cannot do without de Gea. The Spaniard has saved them on numerous occasions and is easily responsible for close to 20 points every season - all by himself.
Manchester United are slowly but surely growing into their old robes of considerable might and David de Gea will absolutely relish being at the helm.
#4 Jose Mourinho has no plans of selling David de Gea
Yeah, that's right. The Manchester United gaffer absolutely adores David de Gea and has made his intentions of keeping him at the club no secret.
Speaking to Sky Sports before Manchester United's clash against Newcastle in February, Jose Mourinho said,
"Do you think a club that is trying to attract the best players is the club that is open to sell the best players? It makes no sense."
"If you want to go to that level, we have to attract the best players like we did with Alexis [Sanchez], [Nemanja] Matic, [Paul] Pogba and so on, and don't let our best players go."
When asked by La Sexta about whether or not de Gea would stay at United beyond the season, Mourinho reiterated,
"I think he will stay. I don't know what Real Madrid's intentions are, but if I were them, I would think of another player."
Jose knows what's best for Manchester United and given that de Gea proves his mettle on a consistent basis, he doesn't even need to think twice if at all Real Madrid decide to come looking.
#3 Manchester United and Real Madrid are not the best of friends anymore
There used to be a time not long back when the only clubs that could entice a player who was tearing it up at Old Trafford were from Spain and were largely restricted to FC Barcelona or Real Madrid.
And Real Madrid and Manchester United have joined hands to facilitate the movement of players to and fro. Look at David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel di Maria etc.
But ever since the fax machine fiasco that led to Real Madrid missing out on David de Gea in 2015, the relationship seems to have suffered. It got even worse last summer.
Manchester United were vying to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid. However, the European champions quoted a dastardly figure and waited for United to match it. Manchester United made their final offer which fell short of Madrid's evaluation of the player.
United pulled out of the negotiations and went ahead and bought Romelu Lukaku from Everton and that has proved to be a wise decision this season.
Manchester United showed Real Madrid that they weren't going to dance to the whims of the Madrid board and this has tainted their relationship. In this scenario, Manchester United selling their best player to Real Madrid looks very improbable.
#2 Manchester United are about to offer him a smashing new contract
According to several reports, Manchester United are now all set to offer David de Gea a staggering £350,000-a-week contract to ensure the Spaniard feels valued at the club and is remunerated at par with his contributions to the club.
David de Gea will become one of the highest paid players in the history of the club, if not the highest, and it is something that was long due. de Gea's current contract runs till 2019 and United have an option to extend it by a year.
The wage budget at Old Trafford has been relieved as a result of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure to LA Galaxy and Manchester United want to waste no time in securing the future of their outstanding goalkeeper.
The wheels have been reportedly set in motion and the United top brass wants David de Gea to go the 2018 World Cup in Russia knowing that everything is settled and comfortable when he returns to Old Trafford for a brand new season of fresh challenges.
#1 David de Gea is grateful for the love and respect he receives and will not force a move
Any player who explicitly affirms his intention to move does not get a lot of respect at their old clubs. David de Gea's intention to move to his dream club Real Madrid which will also take him back to his home country, however, wasn't met with jeers or bitterness at Manchester United.
De Gea was undoubtedly Manchester United's best player at the time and there was a sense of resignation among the fans who thoroughly believed that de Gea was too good for the team. They respected his decision. However, all hell broke loose when his move to Real Madrid collapsed.
As de Gea made his return to United colours a couple of weeks later, he walked to the goalposts to thunderous applause and earth-shattering chants of "David de Gea" which he acknowledged with immense pride.
The Spaniard is worshipped by Manchester United fans and the love is there for all to see. He even underlined this when he responded to rumours of a return prior to the International friendly against Argentina by saying,
"In England, I have a great affection and respect that I do not notice so much here."
Ah, yes. The Real Madrid fans are an entitled bunch who even have the gall to abuse Cristiano Ronaldo. David, you got it right, mate. The love is in Manchester and just like that, David de Gea is a Red.
