Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has publicly pledged his future to the club amid upcoming new contract talks and has also revealed that he feels like is ‘from Manchester’ after spending nearly 11 years in the city.
De Gea was just 20 when he first arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2011, identified by Sir Alex Ferguson and then goalkeeping coach Eric Steele as the man to replace Edwin van der Sar, going on to become the best goalkeeper in the world by 2014.
Now 31, the Spaniard is rediscovering his best form after putting an alarming slump behind him.
His current contract is due to expire at the end of next season, although it carries an option for a 12-month extension, and 90min recently that United officials wish to sit down with De Gea and his representatives to discuss his long-term future.
In a fresh boost, De Gea himself has confirmed his desire to go nowhere else.
Speaking to UEFA ahead of facing former club Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week, he said, "I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it's just a city. Now I feel as if I'm from Manchester; I just feel like anyone else from Manchester.
“Where you are loved and welcomed is your home. I've been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly, I don't see myself away from Manchester United.”
De Gea was famously just minutes away from joining Real Madrid on summer transfer deadline day in 2015 – a £29m deal that included Keylor Navas in part-exchange was agreed – but the paperwork was not submitted in time. It was billed as a homecoming for the Madrid native, although these days he considers himself just as much at home in the north west of England.
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Source : 90min