The news that Manchester United are ready to offer David de Gea an eye-watering £400k-a-week to keep him at Old Trafford is a sign of how important the goalkeeper is, although the Spaniard could be forgiven for wondering if the grass is greener elsewhere.
When De Gea signed for United from Atletico Madrid in 2011 he is unlikely to have imagined that he would only have one Premier League title, an FA Cup, a League Cup and a Europa League winners medal to his name. He would have expected so much more.
Despite winning United’s Player of the Year award four times in the past five years, the shot-stopper has found success with United hard to come by after a move to Real Madrid during the summer transfer window of 2015 fell through. Instead, De Gea signed a new contract and it has been a topsy-turvy three-and-a-bit years since then.
The keeper was a revelation last season, conceding just 28 goals and keeping 18 clean sheets in 37 league appearances, but he has been left exposed by a dreadful defence that has resembled a Chuckle Brothers tribute act for much of this campaign.
De Gea has already conceded 26 goals in 16 Premier League outings, keeping just two clean sheets, and the news that he is set to sign a new deal at Old Trafford is a sign that his opportunity to sign for another of Europe’s genuinely top clubs has passed him by.
The 28-year-old is reaching his peak as a goalkeeper and yet there must be a slight pang of regret that he never got that coveted move to Real Madrid. The opportunity to compete for Champions League glory – United have never gone beyond a quarter-final of Europe’s premier competition during De Gea’s time at the club – has surely passed him by. United have fallen behind the very best teams in Europe and the rebuilding job needs to start quickly.
De Gea can be content with being United’s best player – by some distance on this season’s evidence – and he will be part of the club’s overhaul, starting with the defence. It remains to be seen whether Jose Mourinho will be his manager for the foreseeable future, but it must be a concern that he is playing for a club that has been cut adrift by so many of their rivals, both at home and abroad.
It is also telling that there didn’t seem to be any genuine suitors for De Gea, despite the drawn out contract talks with United.
Paris Saint-Germain had been mooted as a potential destination, and yet the Ligue 1 side have the great Gigi Buffon as first choice and Alphonse Areola waiting in the wings. Juventus would have been an ideal destination, while Real Madrid signed Thibaut Courtois last summer.