Iker Casillas happy to fight David De Gea for No1 spot

Andy West 08:24 28/05/2015
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  • Still life in the old dog: Iker Casillas (l) and David De Gea.

    Iker Casillas insists he would be happy to welcome David De Gea to Real Madrid and maintains that he has no intention of leaving the Bernabeu.

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    The Spanish giants have been heavily linked with a move for the Madrid-born Manchester United keeper, who has declined a new contract offer to stay in England and is believed to be keen on a return to his home city.

    After a season which saw Casillas commit several errors and regularly find himself on the receiving end of fierce criticism from fans, Madrid’s interest in De Gea is being regarded as a sign that the club are preparing to displace their veteran captain.

    But Casillas, who is currently keeping De Gea out of the Spain side, claims he would relish a challenge from the former Atletico Madrid trainee at club level as well.

    “If De Gea does come here, he’ll be welcomed,” said Casillas. “Competition is healthy and we’ll have to compete for a place like we do with Spain.

    “He is a good guy and a goalkeeper for the present and the future. He can handle pressure and the exp-erience he’s got from United will have served him well.”

    Rather than being prepared to hand over the number one jersey to De Gea, 34-year-old Casillas believes he can maintain his place among the elite for several years to come, pointing to other ‘keepers who have played into their late 30s.

    “If you look after yourself, a keeper can keep on playing – Santi Canizares, Gigi Buffon and Andres Palop are good examples of that,” he said.

    “I cannot imagine myself anywhere else when the new campaign starts – I want to end my career here.

    “There’s always the chance that I could go to a smaller league if things don’t turn out, but right now I see myself as up to the job.”

    It is highly likely that the manager tasked with deciding between Casillas and De Gea will be Rafa Benitez, who is today expected to announce his impending departure from Napoli to return to the club where his coaching career began.

    In the early 1990s, Casillas and Benitez were in the Madrid youth set-up at the same time, with the coach in charge of the Under 19s while the burgeoning goalkeeper was a member of the Under 12s.

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