Image Credit: Jean Catuffe / Getty Images
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has decided to leave De Gea on the bench for the club’s opening match of the Premier League season, as rumours of the goalkeeper being transferred to Real Madrid continue to circulate.
De Gea will sit out of Man U’s first match against Tottenham, with the club’s new signing Sergio Romero likely to fill his place after substitute Victor Valdes has been placed on the transfer list after he stated that he would not remain in the club’s reserves team.
It’s uncertain where De Gea’s future lies, with it being reported that United are waiting on a deal from Madrid that would also see them offer defender Sergio Ramos, but with De Gea not factoring into the English club’s plans during their first game of the season it seems very likely that the 24-year-old is on his way out.
Image Credit: John Peters / Getty Images
However, Van Gaal has not stated that De Gea’s absence from the squad is as a result of him making his departure, but rather due to the talk around his potential transfer having impacted his morale, with the manager telling the press: “I don’t know the solution with De Gea, that is the process. Still you repeat the question. I cannot lead this process, I can only watch and observe and that is what I’m doing. I’m not participating in it.
“When it is not like that I accept it because I know when I became manager of Manchester United, every transfer period is a process. I’m fighting against the transfer period. I know what is the process like and what it means for clubs and managers. It is not easy for De Gea to manage his situation now.”
