David de Gea reveals he wants to stay at Man United past his contract
David de Gea reveals he would like to stay at Man United beyond the end of his contract and ‘help the youngsters win trophies’… as the Spanish goalkeeper prepares to make his 500th appearance for the club
- David de Gea will make his 500th Manchester United appearance on Sunday
- United host Newcastle at the Theatre of Dreams in the Premier League
- De Gea will become only the club’s 11th player to reach the historic milestone
- The 31-year-old is eager to try and help United’s younger players win silverware
David de Gea joins Manchester United’s exclusive 500 club today with the ambition of becoming one of their longest-serving players.
Goalkeeper De Gea, who has been at Old Trafford since 2011, will become only the 11th player in the club’s history and the first from outside the British Isles to record 500 appearances when he plays against Newcastle.
The 31-year-old Spaniard is in the final year of his contract, though United have an option of an extra 12 months. But with the club rebuilding under manager Erik ten Hag, he has revealed he would like to stay a lot longer than that.
David de Gea will make his 500th Man United appearance against Newcastle on Sunday
The 31-year-old is the club’s current longest-serving star after joining under Sir Alex Ferguson
‘This is my club and where I feel good,’ he said. ‘I’m playing well and I feel very well. I have many more years to play. Yes, I would like to stay here more years and make records for games and everything.
‘I’d like to try to help the young people here as well with my experience and try to win trophies. I feel very confident.’
De Gea is the only member of United’s Premier League squad who played in the club’s last title season, under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
After a difficult start to his career in England following an £18million move from Atletico Madrid, he became acknowledged as one of the world’s best keepers.
De Gea has kept his position as United’s number one under new manager Erik ten Hag
The Spaniard has enjoyed a solid start to the season as United climbed to fifth in the league
The Man United goalkeeper wants to help the squads young players win silverware at the club
He was voted the club’s Players’ Player of the Year four times and, after a move to Real Madrid fell through, he is in now within reach of Alex Stepney’s club record of 539 appearances for a goalkeeper.
‘It is crazy,’ said De Gea. ‘Five hundred games is never easy at a big club like Manchester United.
The shot-stopper helped United win their last piece of silverware, the Europa League in 2017
‘I’m really proud and can’t wait to play Newcastle and try to win. Nobody expects to play that many years and that many games. It’s unbelievable and I consider it a privilege.’
De Gea considers winning the title as his best moment at United but that was a decade ago. He now finds himself in the position of being one of the senior stars trying to build a new group under Ten Hag that can challenge again.
Though United started the season poorly, they are currently in the top six after last Sunday’s win at Everton and have all but qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
‘It’s step by step in every training session and game. You cannot expect massive changes in just a couple of months,’ said De Gea.
De Gea is the only member of United’s 2013 Premier League title-winning side still at the club
De Gea has also lifted the FA Cup for United while playing under Louis Van Gaal in 2016
‘We need time to get better but the feeling is good. It is massive to have experienced players in the team who know how to deal with the pressure. It’s super-important at a club like United.’
If De Gea plays 50 United games for the next five seasons, his tally of 750 would place him third in the all-time list behind Ryan Giggs (963) and Sir Bobby Charlton (758).
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