Speaking to the press ahead of his team’s clash with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of 16, the first leg of which is being played on Wednesday in Madrid, David De Gea said he couldn’t imagine himself playing anywhere but at Manchester United.
The reason why De Gea was chosen to appear in this presser is obvious; the goalkeeper was born in the Spanish capital and rose through the youth system at Atletico, earning first-team promotion there in 2009. Two years later, Manchester United came in for his services and paid a reported fee of €25 million to secure them.
Since then, the Spaniard has made a total of 473 appearances in all competitions for the 20-time English champions, conceding 504 goals and keeping a clean sheet on 163 occasions. He helped his team greatly in winning the 2012-13 Premier League title, the club’s last to date, the FA Cup in 2015-16, and in 2016-17, a double consisting of the League Cup and the Europa League.
Interestingly enough, there were moments during his spell at Old Trafford when De Gea seemed set to return to Madrid to join Real, but United dug their heels in and refused to consider any offers for the man widely regarded at the time as the best in the world. Real signet Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea instead.
However, De Gea’s stock has fallen significantly since, partly due to the emergence of the likes of Alisson Becker, Ederson Moraes, Jan Oblak, as well as the resurgence of Manuel Neuer, but also due to his own drop in form which saw him concede some questionable goals in the last couple of years. There came a moment when Dean Henderson was picked to start ahead of him in important matches, and De Gea’s future became a subject of speculation once more.
But it’s obvious that the 45-cap Spain international has no intention of leaving Old Trafford just yet.
“Now I feel as if I’m from Manchester,” he said.
“I just feel like anyone else from Manchester. Where you are loved and welcomed is your home.
“I’ve been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly I don’t see myself away from Manchester United.”
The 31-year-old is under contract with United until the summer of 2023, but the club have the option to extend it by further 12 months.
