David de Gea returns to training as he bids to keep hold of his starting spot at Manchester United
According to The Sun, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has cut short his holiday following the summer’s Euros to return to training. He follows Bruno Fernandes in doing so, who did the same to begin training with his former club, Boavista.
The veteran shot-stopper goes into the new season unsure of where he stands at the club. United’s first-choice goalkeeper for almost a decade, his position was put under threat last season, thanks to the emerging Dean Henderson.
While De Gea did start more games than his competitor, there was little doubt that the gap between the two was shortening. The Spaniard returned to the starting XI for the Europa League final but endured a forgettable night as United lost on penalties. To rub it in, De Gea failed to save a single penalty and ended up missing the decisive kick as well.
The 30-year-old was a part of the Spanish side that made it to the semi-final of this summer’s Euros. It is perhaps a testament to his fading light that De Gea played second fiddle to Unai Simon throughout the tournament.
De Gea was tipped to return to United in August but is now ready to do so after just a two-week break. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains unsure of who his first-choice goalkeeper will be and the Spaniard is keen to tip the scales in his favour.
Keen to stay put
With Henderson too determined to earn the starting spot, De Gea appears to be taking the challenge head-on. There is still a strong possibility United might offload one of the keepers, with neither of them seeming content to spend the season on the bench. It would appear De Gea has no intention of being that man.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain were also keen on De Gea, only for his massive £375,000-a-week salary to make them think twice. Having already signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, the chances of them going big for the United ace makes no sense now.
According to the report, De Gea feels a debt of gratitude towards Solskjaer after the United boss allowed him to return to Spain for a month to be with his partner for the birth of their first child in March. Whether he can up his game and return to his best remains to be seen.
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De Gea will return to training next week and could make his point in pre-season this summer. Now entering his latter years, the competition from Henderson could either rekindle his career or prove to be the dagger that could end it. How it pans out is up to the Spaniard.
