David de Gea looks set to look for a new club ahead of the 2023/24 season as his spell at Manchester United comes to an end.
The goalkeeper’s contract with the Red Devils expired on 30 June 2023, making him a free agent for other clubs to sign. While he could still complete a new deal at the Old Trafford club, it is starting to look likely that United will turn their attentions elsewhere for the No.1 position.
Erik ten Hag will now have to look for another goalkeeper unless he plans to play between Dean Henderson’s sticks at Old Trafford. The Englishman spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Nottingham Forest and is expected to be sold on a permanent deal.
With the uncertainty surrounding United’s goalkeeping department, it begs the question as to why they appear to have parted ways with last season’s Premier League Golden Glove winner.
Why is David de Gea leaving Man United?
De Gea was signed by Man United in 2011, when Alex Ferguson was still manager, as a replacement for the retiring Edwin van der Sar. He arrived for £18.9 million ($24m) from Atletico Madrid, which made him the second most expensive goalkeeper at the time behind Gianluigi Buffon.
De Gea has won four major trophies with United, including the 2012/13 Premier League title — the most recent in the club’s history. He has also been named the club’s player of the year on four occasions, with his finest form coming under former managers Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
The Spain international signed a new four-year contract in September 2019 that saw him become the club’s top earner, his wages increasing to a stunning £375,000 ($478,000) per week. He has remained United’s first-choice keeper since and won the Premier League Golden Glove for the second time in his career in 2022/23 after keeping the most clean sheets in the competition. However, costly mistakes in key matches have become a more regular occurrence in recent years, and the questions over his capability with the ball at his feet, and his willingness to come forward off his line, have led to suggestions that United manager Erik ten Hag would prefer a keeper in a different mould.
The Athletic reported that De Gea agreed a new contract with the club and went on holiday expecting to return to training with the rest of the first team next week, but United did not go ahead with the deal. Instead, despite De Gea agreeing to a reduction in his salary, United reportedly decided to offer him another new deal at an even lower rate.
On June 28, De Gea posted a yawning emoji to his official Twitter account. The 32-year-old has not accepted the new terms put forward by the club yet as he assesses his options away from Manchester. De Gea still wants to compete at the highest level, but his options may be limited.