After going six months without a club, David de Gea seems to have been content to wait it out. The goalie, who turned 33 last month, hasn’t let his summertime release from Manchester United worry him about landing a new job.
He has returned to Manchester on occasion as he plots his next move. In the months following his departure from Old Trafford, links to Real Betis in Spain have surfaced; however, Nick Pope’s five-month layoff may have opened the door for De Gea to play in the Premier League.
He was in goal for United in their 2-0 league loss at St. James’ Park after keeping a clean sheet against Newcastle in the League Cup final in February. Reports suggest Eddie Howe wishes to make that house his home and the player is said to be interested.
With Pope out of the picture, the only options are former United loanee Martin Dubravka and Loris Karius. Howe may add more experience because the Magpies are fighting for a top-four spot and a Champions League knockout spot.
In many aspects, De Gea is an open goal. The Spaniard, who won the Premier League title, would be free to sign and has played in 55 Champions League games during his career.
Salary demands might also not be as much of a problem because he was prepared to reduce his pay to negotiate a botched renewal at United. Ultimately, he remains unemployed. De Gea had a mixed final few years at United. After a difficult 2020–21 campaign, he briefly lost his starting position to Dean Henderson before getting it back.
He was among the select few players who emerged from the miserable 2021–2022 season without any credit before a string of errors under Erik ten Hag last season saw him replaced by Andre Onana, who may have already made more.
The first rumors that De Gea’s time at United might be coming to an end surfaced during an unstable period during the Covid-hit 2019–20 season. The ‘keeper, who was 29 at the time, was the subject of a claim made by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the United manager at the time.
He made the prediction, “He has come out and said that he wants to play many, many more – maybe 10 more years.” “It’s a pleasure to watch him being humble enough to work hard, but it’s up to him how long he can stay at the top.”
