Erik ten Hag has confirmed he wants David de Gea to extend his Manchester United contract amid concern that the goalkeeper should leave the club this summer.
De Gea’s future at Old Trafford is in serious doubt; he is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and having turning down their opening contract offer, there is now a big possibility that he leaves the club this summer.
The Spaniard made a dreadful error in United’s 1-0 defeat at West Ham on Sunday, letting Said Benrahma’s hopeful long-range effort creep past him and over the line. It was the latest mistake in an error-strewn campaign by De Gea.
After the match, United boss Ten Hag confirmed when asked of the goalkeeper and his future at the club: "We want him to stay and we want him to extend his contract."
De Gea signed a hefty deal in 2019 that made him not only the club's highest-paid player but also the Premier League's top earner on £375,000 per week. The goalkeeper accepts that at the age of 32, he cannot command the same type of money, but still wants an amount that reflects his value.
Others have questioned De Gea’s future at the club. Former United defender Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport after the defeat at West Ham : "The question mark about him I think is whether he's good enough with his feet to play the Erik ten Hag way.
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"In terms of shot-stopping he's made a mistake today but that's not the area I question him. Is he a good enough footballer to play for Manchester United? The only person that can answer that is Erik ten Hag and we'll know at the end of this season."
This concern was echoed by Ferdinand’s fellow BT Sport pundit Peter Crouch, who added: "It's a strange one, because he's conceded goals from his own mistakes but he's also kept the most clean sheets in the league.
"If he's in contract negotiations making mistakes like that is never going to help. He's been a top-class goalkeeper over the years, but at the moment it feels like he's making big errors in big, big games."
United are thought to be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper this summer to provide competition for De Gea’s place and possibly usurp him as first choice. Porto goalkeeper and Portugal international Diogo Costa is one candidate, while United are keeping tabs on Brentford shot stopper David Raya.
