Few people could have predicted that David de Gea, whose 12-year Manchester United career came to an abrupt end this summer, would still be without a club more than a month after the transfer window closed.
Although it was somewhat assumed that Man Utd would allow the 32-year-old to leave after his contract expired, nobody anticipated that De Gea would be a free agent for very long.
Even though he wasn’t Erik ten Hag’s ideal goalkeeper, the former Manchester United number one is still a superb stopper and is more than capable of performing at a high level every week.
However, De Gea hasn’t received any offers that have piqued his interest, and he may even be pondering retiring from competitive play.
There was an air that De Gea’s time at the club was running out as soon as Erik ten Hag entered Carrington. The Dutchman believes that you should play through the thirds and collapse from the rear. First on the list is the goalie.
Although De Gea has always had exceptional hands as a goalkeeper, he has never fully possessed the skill of his Premier League rivals when it comes to controlling the ball. In terms of distribution, players like Ederson and Alisson Becker have set the standard in England, and, to be honest, De Gea has fallen behind the times.
The former Ajax coach saw the Spaniard as a weakness because he was unable to put Ten Hag’s theory into practice, and certain prominent mistakes did not assist his case. It was not surprising that Manchester United felt it was time to part ways with their long-standing number one when you consider this in addition to his rumored £375,000-a-week income.
In place of De Gea, Andre Onana was selected, and even if his early play was inconsistent, the Cameroonian international should help the Red Devils attack more successfully in the future.
Meanwhile, De Gea’s value has dropped, with the most he and his management could manage being some reported summer interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, both of which would have been short-term acquisitions to replace injured goalkeepers.
Is David de Gea able to travel to Saudi Arabia?
90min is aware that De Gea has declined the invitation to team up with the majority of the seasoned players who swapped Europe for Saudi Arabia last summer.
The goalie is certain that he may still play frequently for a Champions League team in the near future and has made it plain that he wants to remain in Europe.
According to reports, Cristiano Ronaldo has been attempting to persuade his old teammate to join him in Al Nassr, but De Gea has apparently rejected the Portuguese international’s approaches and is presently refusing to back down.
Twelve Premier League players—among them Jordan Henderson, Riyad Mahrez, and Allan Saint-Maximin—moved to Saudi Arabia this summer, but De Gea maintains he is unwilling to follow suit.
Why hasn’t David de Gea joined a another team?
De Gea’s demands are one of the reasons he hasn’t found a new team. The goalie anticipates becoming his new team’s top player for the foreseeable future and wants to be first choice, ideally in the Champions League. It is therefore improbable that he will find too many suitors who meet every requirement on his wishlist.
The fact that Bayern and Real Madrid were unable to give the goalie what he desired after Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer recovered from serious injuries may have played a role in their decision to pass on the stopper.
Additionally, there is the issue of the financial resources needed to sign De Gea. A team would still need to have the funds to pay a goalkeeper who turns 33 in November £187,500 a week, even if the Spaniard agreed to a 50% pay drop.
It’s reasonable to speculate that during the past few years, De Gea’s reputation may have suffered a little as well. Although the goalkeeper won four Man Utd Player of the Year awards when he was a member of the team, his recent decline in play and his incapacity to implement a more contemporary tactical game plan make him less appealing to potential suitors.
Will David de Gea stop playing?
Given that he is still a young goalkeeper, De Gea definitely wants to play on, but if the perfect deal doesn’t come along, he will definitely think about quitting. 90min is aware that he intends to postpone making a choice until January, but if the transfer window ends without him signing with a new team, he may have to think about his future.
Naturally, a lot may happen between now and year-end. There’s still a chance that De Gea accepts a second-choice position playing somewhere, or if a prestigious team from across the continent approaches him.
Nonetheless, considering everything De Gea has delivered the Premier League throughout his tenure at Manchester United, it would be unfortunate if he departed at such an early age for lack of better options.
