There was great controversy when David De Gea was left out of the Manchester United squad to face Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, and even more so when it was announced that he has suffered the same fate in their clash against Aston Villa later tonight.
De Gea is said to be shocked by his exclusion and by the comments of Louis van Gaal, the United manager, who has claimed that the goalkeeper has asked not to be named on the team-sheet.
BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan has since revealed inside knowledge that the Spaniard has not been training with the first-team this week.
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Roan tweeted that De Gea has spent the past five days training with United’s reserves, as the uncertainty surrounding the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper’s Old Trafford position is widening.
Source close to De Gea tells me he’s ‘surprised’ at not being selected, wants to play, and has been made to train with reserves this week
— Dan Roan (@danroan) August 14, 2015
De Gea has been linked with Real Madrid since the end of last season, and while speculation remains ongoing, it looks increasingly likely that he will see out the remaining year of his contract with United.
His worry will surely be on whether he is set to become van Gaal’s second-choice goalkeeper for the next 12 months.