Few things are clear about Real Madrid’s correspondence with Manchester United on transfer deadline day. Both clubs have looked to pin the blame on the other, insisting that a breakdown in communications came from the other side. But, what is certain, is that David De Gea remains a Manchester United player, and the goalkeeper is, theoretically, available for selection against Liverpool on Saturday.
– #360view: De Gea should return to No. 1 spot
There had been rumblings about De Gea’s protracted move to Madrid from the end of the 2014-15 season. Throughout pre-season, and the opening weeks of the Premier League, Louis van Gaal’s press conferences tended to revolve around the question of De Gea’s future. As the season began, Van Gaal omitted De Gea from the starting line-up, fielding new signing Sergio Romero, as the usual first-choice goalkeeper sat in the stands next to a miserable Victor Valdes.
According to Van Gaal, De Gea was dropped because he had admitted to Frans Hoek, Manchester United’s goalkeeping coach, that he didn’t want to play. Van Gaal, further driving the whispers of the rumour mill, said that De Gea “was not the same as before” in training, seemingly creating an atmosphere in which it would be easier to offload the goalkeeper as a player who wasn’t training well and wasn't keen on taking to the pitch.
But it didn't’ happen that way. De Gea stayed. And Van Gaal, perhaps wisely, had already held out the olive branch in the same press conferences that he was questioning De Gea’s application in training. Cleverly, the Dutchman suggested De Gea could, if a move to Real fell through, regain his place in the side, depending on the form of Sergio Romero. And, if Romero’s stuttering display against Swansea City is any indicator, De Gea shouldn’t have to work too hard to win back the No. 1 spot.
BACK FROM THE BRINK
De Gea’s ability to reconcile with United and Van Gaal may be aided by the peculiar history of the club. In the past 10 years, there are two notable cases of United players who looked beyond the pale at Old Trafford. Both of these players overcame the issues that had set them on the path to the exit door, and both stayed at United.
The first was Cristiano Ronaldo who, on his way to becoming the most expensive player in world football at the time, played a pivotal role as United reached two Champions League finals in as many years, winning one of them in 2008. The other, Wayne Rooney, is now captain of both United and England, and just 17 goals away from becoming his club’s all time record goalscorer. And, reassuringly for United fans, De Gea’s relationship with the club is substantially better than Ronaldo’s and Rooney’s during their times of conflict.
Ronaldo’s troubles at Old Trafford stemmed from the 2006 World Cup and that infamous wink in Gelsenkirchen. Portugal defeated England on penalties, as ever, in the quarter-finals, but the furore around the match came from Rooney’s red card for a stamp on Ricardo Carvahlo. Ronaldo was deemed by the English press to have pressured the referee into sending his United team-mate off, turning towards the bench with a wink that was caught on television cameras.
Fans of the England team were irate. Ronaldo faced boos around the country during pre-season and the opening games of the Premier League. And, according to Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography, the Portuguese seriously considered leaving English football that summer. He did leave, eventually, in 2009, but on his own terms, having won a Champions League, three Premier League titles and the Ballon d’Or.
"David Gill did not give me the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I told him that I would not be signing a new contract." Wayne Rooney, 2010.
Rooney’s relationship with United has also been subject to turbulent peaks and troughs. The striker has twice requested transfers, once in 2010 due to United’s perceived failure to attract stellar names, and again, according to Sir Alex Ferguson, in 2013. On both occasions Rooney was able to patch up his differences with United, eventually named captain by Louis van Gaal. Despite a shaky start to this season, Rooney is now part of the furniture at Old Trafford and looks set to play out the autumn of his career in Manchester.
DE GEA A STAYER?
De Gea’s contract expires at the end of the 2015-16 season, meaning that, even if he does again appear regularly for United, he may not enjoy the trophy-laden success of either Ronaldo or Rooney. But history at the club illustrates that there is room for manoeuvre; De Gea could stay, and even extend his contract at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo and Rooney managed to overcome problems and stay after protracted moves came to nothing. In both instances, the club managed to dissolve any whispers of discontent and successfully reintegrated the pair into the dressing room.
It appears De Ge remains on good terms with the playing staff; he hasn’t burnt any bridges. Sergio Romero only person that may suffer from a reintegration, and Van Gaal has never shown himself to be too perturbed at the thought of upsetting a dispensable player.
De Gea could stay and prosper. There is a precedent at Manchester United, it’s been done before.
