How David de Gea almost signed for Wigan
Karan Tejwani
- 15 Sept 2022 09:30 BST
- 3 min read
David de Gea is now an undisputed starter for Manchester United, but things could’ve been slightly different for the Spaniard had he made a certain move early in his career.
The goalkeeper joined Manchester United in 2011 and has been guarding the nets since joining as a 20-year-old, despite a few tough years recently.
He has now revealed that he could’ve been playing in England much sooner in his career, however, it would’ve been away from Old Trafford.
De Gea has revealed how close he was to signing for Wigan Athletic, who, at the time, were still a Premier League club fighting against relegation under Roberto Martinez.
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De Gea could've signed for Wigan
This happened when De Gea was just breaking through in his career, and there were several offers to take him away from Atletico Madrid in order for him to build experience.
“It was in the same season that I made my Atletico debut,” De Gea said, speaking to BT Sport. “I was like the third keeper, not even in the team much, just training and nothing else.
“Wigan contacted me to sign for them and I was very close to signing for Wigan,” De Gea added, without revealing whether it was a permanent move or a loan option.
👕 As we all know, every football shirt tells a story...
David de Gea was close to joining Wigan Athletic before making his senior debut for Atlético Madrid in 2009 😲#WhatIWore x @D_DeGea drops Thursday at midday 👊 pic.twitter.com/ML8APyFnOS— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 14, 2022
Of course, De Gea didn’t sign for them and ended up moving to Manchester United in 2011, where he has had a successful career, winning individual and team honours.
So far, he has one Premier League title, an FA Cup and League Cup, as well as a Europa League success, but the side have been starved of silverware since 2017.
On a personal level, he has been named Manchester United’s Player of the Season on four separate occasions – a club record, while also becoming a full Spain international before being dropped.
Recent times have been a little more complicated, with a demand for him to be more commanding with a ball, leading for calls for him to be replaced.
