MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 12:21:38| >> :60:1286:1286:

Manchester United 'split over new David de Gea contract'

Man United 'split over new David de Gea contract'
© Reuters
Members of the Manchester United hierarchy are reportedly split when it comes to a new contract for under-fire goalkeeper David de Gea.

Manchester United chiefs are reportedly split when it comes to a new contract for under-fire goalkeeper David de Gea.

Despite leading the Premier League's Golden Glove race with 15 clean sheets this term, the Spain international had displayed a propensity for costly mistakes.

De Gea's latest fatal error came in Sunday's 1-0 defeat to West Ham United, where Said Benrahma's strike hit the goalkeeper's palm before trickling into the back of the net.

The former Atletico Madrid man has now made four errors directly leading to a goal in all competitions this season, the joint-most of any Premier League goalkeeper alongside Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris.

In addition, concerns over the 32-year-old's ability to play out from the back has also been called into question, as Erik ten Hag searches for a shot-stopper comfortable with the ball at his feet.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea on February 26, 2023© Reuters

Nevertheless, Ten Hag defended his widely-criticised number one on Sunday night and confirmed that he wants to see De Gea extend his contract at the Theatre of Dreams.

The Spaniard is currently due to become a free agent at the end of the season, and Man United are not prepared to activate an existing 12-month extension, which would keep him on his club-high £375,000 weekly wage.

Instead, the powers-that-be are insisting that De Gea must agree to a salary decrease of around £175,000 to stay on, taking his weekly pay down to £200,000, which he has so far shown no willingness to do.

Now, The Mirror claims that some members of the Red Devils' hierarchy are doubting whether De Gea should even be offered a new deal after all, despite Ten Hag publicly giving the green light to a renewal.

Man United are believed to have scouted a number of potential replacements for De Gea, including Brentford's David Raya, Dinamo Zagreb's Dominik Livakovic and Porto's Diogo Costa.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag with goalkeeper David de Gea on October 30, 2022© Reuters

While contract talks continue to rumble on in the background, De Gea has insisted that he remains "very happy" in Manchester and expects negotiations to yield a positive solution.

The shot-stopper has kept a club-high 188 clean sheets in 540 games for Man United in all tournaments, overtaking Peter Schmeichel's previous record of 180 in February's EFL Cup final.

That 2-0 success over Newcastle United at Wembley saw De Gea win his eighth piece of silverware with Man United, having also won the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup, three Community Shields and another EFL Cup in 2017.

A total of 540 appearances for the Red Devils is also the seventh-most in the club's history behind Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton, Paul Scholes, Bill Foulkes, Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney.

However, De Gea's mistake at the London Stadium has left Man United just one point clear of Liverpool in fourth place in the table, albeit with a game in hand on their Merseyside rivals.

ID:513412:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6067:

David de Gea future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about David de Gea

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
David de Gea in action for Manchester United on May 7, 2023
Read Next:
Ten Hag confirms desire for De Gea extension despite West Ham howler
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!