Manchester United have climbed to fourth in the Premier League table.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea will reportedly accept a pay cut to remain as Erik ten Hag’s No 1. De Gea joined the Red Devils from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has gone on to make over 500 appearances for the club.
De Gea signed his last United deal in 2019, but will be out of contract in the summer. According to The Telegraph, the north west giant have an option of extending his current deal by another year but have decided against it as the Spain international earns a staggering £375,000 per week.
And United will instead enter into discussions with the 32-year-old in an attempt to persuade him to pen fresh terms on reduced wages.
“I hope so,” De Gea explained when asked if he was confident about ending his playing career at Old Trafford. “I was saying this is my club, I’ve been here many, many years and it’s a huge honour to be here and I’m so happy here.
“Yeah, I’m very relaxed [about the contract], just focussed on training, performing as best as I can. But, for sure, it’s going to end in a good way.”
De Gea has been United’s first-choice shot-stopper since signing for the club. Dean Henderson had threatened to wrestle the goalkeeping jersey away from the Spaniard under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but was ultimately unsuccessful in his endeavours before being shipped out to Nottingham Forest on loan this season.
De Gea has enjoyed a strong campaign under Ten Hag this time around and has already kept 12 clean sheets in all competitions. On Tuesday night, the ace made three fine saves as his team defeated Bournemouth 3-0 in the Premier League to move five points clear of Tottenham in fourth. And De Gea insists the Red Devils are back to their best at Old Trafford.
“That’s how it should be to come here – it should be a tough place for the teams,” De Gea said. “Let’s see in the future. We are playing really well, we have to keep the momentum as much as we can and prepare for every game as a final and recover well.
“He’s (Ten Hag) doing well. He puts every player in the same direction and we feel like a proper team. Everyone wants to win, everyone wants to play for this club and that’s massive. He brought a great spirit to the team, we are playing really well and this is the way we have to show and keep the momentum as well.
“He was happy with the clean sheet [against Bournemouth] but at the same time he was a bit angry because we conceded too many chances and we were too open at the end of the game, so he was a bit angry.”
SOURCE: express.co.uk
