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Erik ten Hag wants a new goalkeeper at Manchester United to add competition for David de Gea
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has expressed his desire to add a new goalkeeper to his ranks to add competition for David de Gea in the team.
The Spaniard has been the number one at the Old Trafford side for over a decade now. However, since the former Ajax head coach’s arrival, while the 32-year-old has made some impressive saves, he has also made some high-profile errors.
Speaking to The Times via transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Ten Hag warned De Gea of his place as the first choice in between the sticks for the Red Devils come next season and hinted at the arrival of a new shot-stopper.
🚨 Ten Hag confirms plan to sign new GK to create competition, as revealed months ago: “De Gea will stwy but I will not say he’ll always be my N1 GK”, tells Times.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 29, 2023
“I say this because in a club like #MUFC there must be competition always, in all positions”, ten Hag added. pic.twitter.com/h0DtRkuauj
“De Gea will stay but I will not say he’ll always be my N1 GK. I say this because in a club like #MUFC there must be competition always, in all positions.”
De Gea made his way to United in the summer of 2011 from Atletico Madrid. Since then, the Spaniard has mostly been ever-present in the Red Devils’ starting lineup.
However, the veteran goalkeeper’s form saw a dip after the 2018 World Cup. Subsequently, it looked like his days at the Manchester-based club were numbered.
In the 2020/21 season, Dean Henderson returned to the Old Trafford side after a fruitful loan spell. The England international shared minutes with the 32-year-old.
But De Gea managed to regain his place as the undisputed number one in the previous campaign. Subsequently, Henderson joined Nottingham Forest on a temporary move last summer.
United have got the best out of De Gea in recent years when there has been competition for places in the team. Unfortunately, with Tom Heaton and Jack Butland the backups at the moment, there does not seem to be too much quality to threaten the Spaniard’s position in the team.
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Therefore, we could evidently do with a quality number two in our ranks who will be capable of giving the 32-year-old a run for his money. But whether the Old Trafford side will end up buying someone next summer remains to be seen.
