What De Gea must do to get new Man Utd contract

Robin Bairner

• 27 Oct 2022 13:48 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has yet to win manager Erik ten Hag entirely over, leading to uncertainty over where his future lies.

The Man Utd No.1 since arriving for €25 million from Atletico Madrid in 2011, De Gea has split opinion for much of his time at Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old now finds himself approaching a crossroads in his career, with months remaining on his present contract.

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It promises to be a crucial decision for Ten Hag, too. The manager has typically been decisive in his work for Man Utd but according to a report in The Athletic, he is undecided over what to do with the Spain international.

The De Gea problem

Named Players’ Player of the Year last season, De Gea faces criticism that he is not as adept with his feet as many modern goalkeepers and certainly the type of shot-stopper that Ten Hag would typically envisage in his squad.

A key aspect in Man Utd’s decision over the player could be his wages. De Gea is presently one of the club’s top earners, raking in £375,000 per week.

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In a “realistic scenario”, according to The Athletic, De Gea could remain at the club if he is willing to take a pay cut. This is likely to see his wage slashed in two. For his part, De Gea would expect to retain first-pick status at the club.

If he is willing to accept these terms, he is liable to be kept on.

For De Gea’s part, he is unlikely to receive a similar wage packet at any other club. Although there is still a relatively long time before his contract expires, there is little hint that any of Europe’s major teams will be seeking a first-choice goalkeeper in the summer.

Remaining a Man Utd on a reduced salary and being guaranteed first-team football may be the ideal solution for De Gea in that case.