If he's made up his mind then let him go- Gordon Strachan on David de Gea
The shot-stopper has been absolutely exceptional between the bars and has been a very good servant for the Red Devils.
Since a couple of months, Manchester United have been facing a crisis-like situation. Their poor on-field performances this season have led them to an awful start to the Premier League campaign as they currently stand 10th in the table with just 14 points. In as many a 9 games played, the Red Devils won just 4 and succumbed to 3 defeats while drawing the other 2.
Manager Jose Mourinho has been under constant scrutiny as United have shown back to back under the par displays. To add to the misery, the Portuguese has had fall-outs with many key players. The recent downfall is due to blame on the manager’s tactics, with which, apparently, several United players are unhappy.
David de Gea, in particular, seems to have been discontented at the club right now. The news of his discomfort came in as Mourinho admitted he wasn’t confident on whether the goalkeeper would sign a new deal with the club. The Spaniard’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season and it seems like he will be out looking for greener pastures.
Since a long time, De Gea was on the radar of Real Madrid and had almost signed for the Spanish giants a couple of years ago. However, the Los Blancos signed Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea last summer and Juventus have now entered into the scenario.
The 27 year-old has been an exceptional keeper for United and has stepped up during the most crucial games. If not for him, United would have had conceded plenty of goals than they actually did. Former Scotland boss Gordon Strachan has backed the shotstopper and is of the belief that his outstanding performances for the club in the past 7 years, should automatically allow him to decide on his future.
“He deserves the right to choose where he goes and he’ll have a few clubs after him,” Strachan said while speaking to The Debate.
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“But he deserves it after a stick start where young players can crumble going to Manchester United, we’ve seen it before- they crumble, they disappear and we don’t see them again,” he added. “He dealt with it, physically got better but mentally got stronger. Over the last couple of years, I’m sure he’s had approaches and he’s dealt with it in the right way.”
“He’s been a great teammate and a great servant for the club, so I think it is right that he decides where he wants to go.”
Furthermore emphasising on United’s crisis, Strachan added, “ I think the problem United are having just now is because they are not up there with the top clubs in Europe. They are one of the top clubs but not one of the top teams at the moment.”
Strachan is of the view that De Gea is a world class player and when he is out on international duty, he plays along with the Barcelona and Real Madrid players who regularly win league titles. “He’s not winning leagues anymore.”
“And I think he’s way past the stage of worrying about money. I think what you need now is job satisfaction and as a goalie, he’s got another 10 years in it. I think he want to go and be in the top games, the Champions League, cup finals, winning leagues. That’s what he’s after.”
“He may stay but I think sometimes as a player you want to go and try something different, meet new people.”
[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]Strachan was all praise for the former Atletico Madrid graduate and believes that the keeper deserves to be at a higher stage considering his quality. “Let’s help him get the best move and then hopefully he’s in fine form when he moves on because I think he deserves that kind of group thing where they say ‘thank you very much’ instead of making hassle out of this. If he’s made up his mind then let him go.”
De Gea will lead the Red Devils from the back once again as they host Everton on Sunday.
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