It's 11 months since David de Gea sat in a hotel room in Perth on Manchester United's pre-season tour and expressed a desire to finish his career at Old Trafford. His contract status was a talking point last July and everyone in that room knew it was a big year for the Spaniard's future.
Everyone that is, expects United. With the 32-year-old no longer an employee of the club this Saturday, they are still yet to decide whether they want De Gea to continue next season and in what kind of role. It would be laughable if it wasn't so farcical.
A club that not so long ago was a laughing stock when it came to the smoothness of its operation is parodying itself once again. United had taken huge strides forward under the leadership of chief executive Richard Arnold, football director John Murtough and Erik ten Hag, but the De Gea situation reflects poorly on a club that has designs on challenging for titles.
