Manchester United star David De Gea still wants to be considered for selection despite being strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid, reports the Daily Mail.
The 24-year-old was left out of the 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, with manager Louis van Gaal claiming that the player has been unsettled by the talk of a move. Associates of the Spain international are unhappy with the accusations that he isn’t concentrating on his job, according to the Mail.
“We have observed him in preparation and that was not the same David de Gea as last year,” van Gaal said after the encounter with Spurs.
“Of course when the situation has been cleared after September 1 we will look again. But I’m happy Sergio [Romero] did well. He saved us twice.”
Despite this development appearing to indicate that a move to the Bernabeu is far from agreed, the Red Devils have been linked with several replacements for the goalkeeper. Ajax ace Jasper Cillessen is one player who has been rumoured to be a target [Daily Mirror], as is Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris [Daily Mirror]. They have already signed Sergio Romero, but he is more likely to take over from Victor Valdes as the backup stopper, with the former Barcelona keeper set to leave the club this summer [Goal].
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There are pros and cons to both players.
Cillessen has experience of working with van Gaal before, while he was in charge of the Netherlands national team, but has no club experience outside of the Eredivisie. Meanwhile, Lloris is proven in the Premier League, but as shown by the performance of Petr Cech for Arsenal on Sunday, this is no guarantee that a keeper will perform well behind a new defence.
It appears as though the identity of United’s first-choice goalkeeper for the coming campaign will remain a mystery for a little while longer.