Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has warned David de Gea that he could end up on the bench at Old Trafford following the signing of Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
With Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos closer to signing a new contract with his club, De Gea’s hopes of moving to Spain in a swap deal this summer would appear to have decreased somewhat.
And although Van Gaal admitted last night the signing of 28-year-old Romero on a free transfer is a safety net in case De Gea leaves, he has also warned his No 1 his place is under threat.
‘I have of course spoken with Sergio and also with David,’ said Van Gaal. ‘With me always the best shall be in the line-up. So you have to fight for that place. With the threat that David de Gea is going to Real Madrid, we had to prepare our season.
‘I think Sergio can fulfil that because you have to handle quickly what may happen with David. I think he is a very good choice. I hope he can have a contribution to our selection and I have confidence he can.’
De Gea is expected to play against Paris Saint-Germain here in Chicago tomorrow.
Having complained of a mystery back injury earlier in the tour, the Spanish international will only be picked by Van Gaal for the Premier League opener against Tottenham on August 8 if he is thought to be fully focused. It is understood that there is some doubt about that at the moment.
United are still in negotiation with tomorrow’s opponents about the proposed transfer of Angel di Maria.
Di Maria did not join United in America as planned at the weekend and is expected to move to France once PSG increase their offer from what it is understood to have been a rather miserly €40million (£28.5m) first time round.
United are happy for Di Maria to leave, given the player’s unhappiness and problems he suffered integrating last season.
However, executive vice chairman Ed Woodward is determined to recoup as much of the £60m United paid Real Madrid for their record signing just a year ago.
United are still considering a move for Barcelona’s Pedro as a replacement, even though Van Gaal has reservations about the Spaniard’s lack of pace.
Defender Marcos Rojo will not make it out to join the United tour following an issue with his passport.
Soon after United’s opening league fixture against Tottenham comes a two-legged Champions League play-off that forward Juan Mata believes could be the most important fixtures of United’s season. They will find out their opponents on August 7 and Mata said: ‘It is massive for us to be in the Champions League this season.
‘We need to be in the Champions League. And the two play-off matches are very important.
‘We need to be fit enough mentally and physically for the battle because it is going to be some battle.’ – Daily Mail