Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that the club will assess David De Gea’s contract situation while the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is underway. Currently, the first-choice Man Utd goalkeeper is on contract with the club until the end of the season with an option to extend by 12 months.
While much speculation surrounding De Gea’s future at the club has surfaced, ten Hag insists that he is happy with the Spanish international.
“In the background, we have our strategies for how to deal with it,” ten Hag said of the contract situation. “It is clear already and I have already emphasized it several times, I am really happy with David. He is a great goalkeeper. He is only 31. He is fit. He can progress even more. He was already impressive for Man United and I think he will do that in the future as well.”
De Gea was widely praised for his goalkeeping efforts during the Red Devils’ narrow 1-0 victory over West Ham United, during which the Spaniard made several match-winning saves at full stretch. Still, the 31-year-old seems to have lost his standing with Spain coach Luis Enrique, who appears to favor Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon as his starting goalkeeper. At this stage, it seems unlikely for De Gea to play at the World Cup, having been omitted from Spain’s preliminary squad.
