24 Jul 2024 20:24:53
Hi. Unless I have missed anything and kind of Utd related. What is happening with De Gea. A United legend in my eyes and surely has to get a new club soon and i am surprised he never got a contract at any club after end of his United contract. Would not mind him back at United tbf.
{Ed002's Note - He has been asking for significant wages and that accounts for the time off.}
24 Jul 2024 21:07:38
He's a great keeper playing at the wrong time. A truly world class shot stopper, but he has too many weaknesses to play for a top side in the modern game. He can't play out from the back, he can't sweep and he's weak in the air.
I doubt he's prepared to take the step down in terms of the teams he can play for or the wages they can offer to extend his career.
24 Jul 2024 21:36:39
I think his weakness in the air would have been exploited more if he played in an earlier era. Probably the most instinctive shot stopper I’ve ever seen. His reactions are so quick. But the fact he wasn’t able to improve the weaknesses in his game is a red flag. A great keeper who could have pushed himself to be world class. Telling that he never impressed at international level, and that he was prepared to take a year off rather than a lower wage.
Still think the club treated him very poorly last summer.
25 Jul 2024 00:03:21
De Gea was the highest pad goalkeeper in the EPL by a wide margin and quite frankly he did not justify it. I would go so far as to say that it was yet another piece of poor business by United to hold on to him when his contract was renewed by using what can only be regarded as a financial bribe. In the end, of course, he left and the club made no money from it. It was the correct decision to let him go and thereby rectify the previous error. He was not treated badly. On the contrary he was treated too well.
25 Jul 2024 01:00:25
Yeah, Danny, he deserved a proper send off, whether it was a testimonial or whatever. Give the fans a chance to say thanks and goodbye. It was all very low-key and anticlimactic for a player who saved us in a fair few seasons.
25 Jul 2024 07:24:01
It baffles me how a player would rather take a year out than play and be paid, unless he just doesn’t have the love for the game.
And at what point is silly money still not enough? It must be difficult asking for example £200K a week, but interested employers are only offering a measly £100K a week. How would he live?
I’ve been a huge De Gea supporter over the years but there’s always been question mark around desire and responsibility.
25 Jul 2024 08:29:08
I’ve been a massive supporter of De Gea too in the Stretford End. But let’s get a few things straight, he only stopped with us rather than go to Real because of the astronomical amount of money put in front of him. If it hadn’t been for that he’d have been off (plus the fact we bungled the paperwork last minute on one occasion) . So in terms of loyalty he might say he loves Manchester United, but as soon as his head was turned that love soon went out the window.
In terms of having a year out, that smacks of a goalkeeper who’s tapped out on his career. A season on any wage is better than none. You can only assume he just doesn’t want to play football. Eventually he will need to make a decision on his career, for me he will probably retire if I’m totally honest.
I think for the majority of his career he’s been in the correct era. Any earlier and his aerial fragility would have really let him down. He got away with it because of the move towards referee protection of goalkeepers. It’s only the last season or two where he started to come unstuck with the ball at his feet, and to be honest, he wasn’t as bad as what we all make out.
25 Jul 2024 13:02:09
Exactly Stevie, player of the season on multiple occasions. Deserved some recognition.
25 Jul 2024 13:03:51
Wazza, he has a young family and a famous wife. They made sacrifices for his career and for him to stay in Manchester.
Maybe he doesn't feel either forcing his family to move to somewhere they don't want to be or choosing to spend a year or two living away from his family isn't worth it to play for a mid-table club somewhere.
Supposedly a big driver for his desire to move to Real Madrid was for his family. For his wife's career and to be closer to their extended family. While also playing for a top club challenging for major honours.
In the end he stayed at United, probably because of the astronomic wages on offer.
Either way I can understand why he might have chosen not to take any of the potential offers he had. He knows his time at the top is over, he won't be first choice for a title challenging side. So does he choose to keep playing on a reduced salary, for a smaller club not challenging for major honours over what is best for his family?
25 Jul 2024 20:41:21
I read that Spain isn't an option for him and he has no interest in any other team in the EPL, so was looking at a West Coast US team to continue his career.
25 Jul 2024 22:33:39
Shappy……. I’m not really sure what you said to be perfectly honest. I think you were agreeing with points already made and re-packaging ?♂️
Hasn’t he been training at Alty? Could have sworn I saw a video of him training at Moss Lane.
Wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up playing in north Wales………….
26 Jul 2024 06:38:38
Fireman, that’s a Shappy tactic. Recycle all points from the thread into a huge summary for clout. We know about him moving to Manchester and his wife’s desire to remain in Spain. We know he wanted to go back to Madrid. We know he was on huge wages etc.