De Gea's Man Utd future in balance, Greenwood retained as SEVEN departures announced

Robin Bairner

• 16 Jun 2023 12:55 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have announced that David de Gea has not yet signed a new contract with the club as they have published their official retained list of players.

Among those still on the books of Man Utd is Mason Greenwood, whose future at the club remains a hot topic of debate after legal and personal issues have seen him frozen out of the first-team picture since January 2022.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils have confirmed that seven players have been released.

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Man Utd will say goodbye to Phil Jones after 12 years at the club, with the former England defender’s departure fully anticipated.

Similarly, there are no surprises that Axel Tuanzebe will be released, with the defender having made 37 appearances for the club.

Fellow first-team players Ethan Galbraith and Di’Shon Bernard will depart Man Utd in search of opportunities at other clubs, while the Red Devils have confirmed that academy players Eric Hanbury, Charlie Wellens and Manni Norkett also leave the club with its best wishes.

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De Gea uncertainty continues

It is the case of De Gea, though, that will raise eyebrows most.

The Spain international goalkeeper’s contract has been the subject of intense debate in recent weeks, particularly after the FA Cup final, in which he was perceived to have allowed Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan to have scored twice too easily in a 2-1 loss.

Manager Erik ten Hag has made little secret of his desire to bring in more significant competition for the former Atletico Madrid man, but his priorities in the transfer market are unlikely to see big spending on a goalkeeper this summer.

It had been expected that De Gea would have signed on with the Old Trafford club by now, but the club has confirmed simply that “discussions remain open”, suggesting that there is still someway to run before the No.1 is confirmed as a Manchester United player next season.