David de Gea is busily rewriting the Manchester United record books but it appears the only way the Spaniard can extend his Old Trafford stay is by revising his contract.
It appears that five United ‘Player of the Year’ awards - including one handed over to him in May – in his 11 years at the club is no guarantee for a continuation of his career with the Red Devils.
With his £375,000-a-week deal running out next summer, there have yet to be any meaningful discussions on a new one. The noises coming out of the United boardroom suggest that it would need the 31-year-old 'keeper to substantially reduce his financial demands to enable an agreement.
De Gea, who has helped fortify a suspect United defence in recent weeks with some outstanding saves, could with some justification wonder why despite all this his star appears to be on the wane.
Not only are United not exactly rushing to the table with an offer in the knowledge that he is able to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club in January and walk away in the summer on a Bosman free transfer, but he has also been given the cold shoulder by Spain boss Luis Enrique.
Amazingly, the Madrid-born stopper with 45 senior caps is not in Enrique’s provisional list of 55 names for the World Cup. Enrique’s first three are Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, who is interesting United, Brighton ’s Robert Sanchez and Brentford’s David Raya. The two on standby are Chelsea ’s Kepa Arrizabalaga and Getafe’s David Soria.
Following the chastening 6-3 defeat by neighbours Manchester City, De Gea has only conceded two goals in his last five Premier League games, which included a penalty save against West Ham. United have picked up 11 points in the process.
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It’s now 389 Premier League appearances for the player signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Atletico Madrid in 2011. In all competitions, he has more than 500 United games under his belt. It has moved him up to 11th in the club’s all-time appearances list ,with just one 'keeper, Alex Stepney, ahead of him with 539 games.
His place in the pantheon of United greats is recognised by another Old Trafford legend Paddy Crerand. The former Scottish international insists: “We’ve been so lucky to have him here for over a decade.
“Every player above him on our all-time appearance list is from the UK or Ireland. Of the 10 players to have played more games than him, only Alex Stepney is a goalkeeper and David could even catch him by the end of the season.
“Throughout our history, we’ve been fortunate to have top 'keepers who have stuck around – Alex Stepney, Peter Schmeichel (398 games), Gary Bailey (375 games), Edwin van der Sar (266 games).
“What a difference these players made to the United teams they played in. David was our Players’ Player of the Year last season, which shows just how much respect his team-mates have for him.”
Whether this is borne out with an acceptable new contract offer is open to debate, especially with United’s scouting network focussing on 'keepers. Along with Bilbao’s Simon, Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Porto’s Diogo Costa are believed to be on the Old Trafford radar, while Dean Henderson, who is on loan at Nottingham Forest, is desperate for the number one jersey at United.
