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The tall lanky shot-stopper of Manchester United sees his contract expire by the end of this summer. Over the years he has stuck by United through thick and thin and whilst that’s to be commended, his talent deserves a much higher platform.
Trophies are what he craved for when he set foot at Old Trafford back in June 2011 from Atletico Madrid. His natural reflexes were something that interested Sir Alex Ferguson and he didn't hesitate to bring him back then. And he was not wrong as De Gea repaid the faith shown unto him by becoming the numero uno at United over the years.
He has played a major part in Manchester United winning the Premier League 2012-13 season, FA Cup 2015-16, EFL Cup 2016-17, UEFA Europa League 2016-17, and FA Community Shield in 2011, 2013 and 2016.
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Personally, he won many accolades as well. For three consecutive seasons from 2013-14 to 2015-16, he was elected as Manchester United's 'Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year’ as he became the first player in the award’s history to win on three consecutive occasions. He was elected as 'Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year’ for two consecutive seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15).
On 18 April 2018, De Gea was selected as a goalkeeper in the PFA Team of the Year for the fifth time. Back in May 2018, he was selected as United's Player of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time. He also won the Premier League Golden Glove award last year.
Post Sir Alex's retirement United's form has dipped drastically in the Premier League, their last season 2nd position finishing being the only noticeable achievement.
It's the sixth season post Sir Alex's retirement and they don't seem to be anywhere close to winning the Premier League title this season. A player of De Gea's caliber would want to be part of a team who can challenge oppositions for the Champions League, to win League titles.
He is into the last year of his contract at Manchester United and with interests pouring in from Juventus and Paris Saint Germain, it wouldn't be surprising if he opts for a shock move this summer.
The defense line has been extremely fragile with the likes of Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly performing in patches. Often they leave De Gea vulnerable in front of goal letting the opposition to take direct shots on goal.
Not only defensively but the midfieldiers and the forwards have also been patchy with very limited number of goals scored. It is not possible if you always depend on your shot-stopper to save if your defense wall is weak.
Without a stable defensive pairing, it's impossible to win titles. Whoever comes into the starting line-up needs time to adjust. As a result, keeping players fit is one of the key issues for United. All the defenders have had injury issues be it Smalling or Shaw or Bailly. They badly need a center back, someone who can be dependable and cover De Gea and not leave him open.
Back in 2015, De Gea was almost on the verge of leaving United for Real Madrid if the Dutch manager Louis van Gaal remained at Old Trafford in 2016. But the move failed on deadline day owing to a faulty fax machine reportedly. He has always been heavily linked to a move to Real Madrid but with the signing of Thibaut Courtois last summer the chances of his move to Real seem highly unlikely.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho recently revealed he was "not confident" but "not worried" about the prospect of the 27-year-old prolonging his stay. "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."
Manchester United know the value David De Gea brings to the team. His near impossible #davesaves are something by which he has single-handedly earned them many wins over the course of seven years. He did have a traumatic World Cup for Spain but he is ever so reliable for Manchester United. It would be a thing of concern for United's fans if things do go awry with their star and he decides to opt out.
