Jose Mourinho remains confident that David de Gea will sign a new contract at Manchester United as the Spanish goalkeeper “wants to stay”.
The Red Devils are in danger of seeing a key performer head towards the end of his current deal. However , David De Gea is understood to be in no rush to sign a new contract, even though talks over a new long-term deal have resumed after an impasse and the goalkeeper stands to earn an enormous pay rise if he stays.
Jose Mourinho said he was confident De Gea would stay and commit his future after hailing the Spaniard as the “best goalkeeper in the world” following his stunning save against Young Boys shortly before Fellaini’s winner.
United must trigger a 12-month option on De Gea’s current contract, which expires at the end of this season, before Jan. 1 to prevent him from being able to talk to foreign suitors in January. But that is considered a formality and all parties accept he is effectively contracted until the end of next season.
David de Gea is open to staying at Manchester United if the club offer him a five-year contract worth around £350,000 a week to match Alexis Sanchez. [daily mail] #MUFC
— Manchester United (@MUFCScoop) November 28, 2018
Alexis Sanchez’s contract, which is worth up to £500,000 a week with bonuses and image rights, has dramatically increased De Gea’s prospects of earning a huge uplift on his existing £200,000 a week deal. But with United struggling to compete in the Premier League and so much uncertainty over Mourinho’s future, De Gea is prepared to bide his time and see what develops.
“He’s a world-class player, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world and if our ambitions are to be a big club, to be a winning club, you need the best goalkeeper in the world and you need also some other players who are the best in the world,” Mourinho said after Tuesday night’s win over Young Boys at Old Trafford.
‘We have the best goalkeeper in the world and I know he wants to stay, I know his agent is happy to do what the player wants.’ said manager Jose Mourinho. @JoMouFC on why he feels David De Gea deserves an upper hand in his contract talks with #mufc?https://t.co/12r2RZvU60
— Manchester United Updates (@mnuupdates) November 29, 2018
“We have the best goalkeeper in the world and I know he wants to stay, I know his agent [Jorge Mendes, who is also Mourinho’s agent] is happy to do what the player wants and I also know the board want him to stay and they are working on that so hopefully sooner or later they reach a conclusion.”
United’s narrow victory averted the prospect of Mourinho’s side needing a result against Valencia in Spain in their final Group H match to reach the last 16.
But it was only their fourth win in 10 home matches this season, during which time they have managed just 11 goals, and Shaw acknowledged Old Trafford had lost its fear factor.“Some teams used to fear OId Trafford but I think sometimes now people come in and think they can get results,” the United left back said. “Most importantly, that’s what we have got to change as a team and as a club – to bring that fear factor back to an Old Trafford that not many fear at the moment.”
Mourinho complained after the game that United are finding it “very difficult” to score, but despite keeping clean sheets against Palace and Young Boys, his side have also been shipping goals far too frequently.
@CalvinReeid Mourinho accuses United stars of lacking focus pic.twitter.com/g5scNtN7Ch
— Colin Garland (@c_garland1) November 29, 2018
With Victor Lindelof ruled out for around three weeks with a thigh injury, Phil Jones was asked to partner Chris Smalling at the back for the first time this season – the seventh different central defensive pairing Mourinho has fielded in – and Smalling admitted United could do without more defensive upheaval.
“It’s not ideal,” he said. “I think when you have a consistent partnership you can see there are less chances being given away. It is what it is, it’s something that we get used to and we’re used to playing with each other in training. The partnerships keep changing but it was another clean sheet and I think we need to get back to where we were in the last couple of years when we were very hard to break down.”