"He's been a great servant for Manchester United" - Former Red Devil believes it's time for David de Gea to leave the club
Manchester United legend Nicky Butt thinks David de Gea should finally depart Old Trafford.
De Gea's future with United is in doubt following the expiration of his contract on June 30. The Spanish goalkeeper has been in talks with the Red Devils over a new deal but there is an expectation that his 12-year stay in Manchester is over.
Manchester United are reportedly edging closer to making Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana their second summer signing. The Cameroonian is likely to displace De Gea in Erik ten Hag's side.
Butt has lavished praise on United's longest-serving player. Speaking on Sky Sports, Butt gave a glowing assessment of De Gea's contributions to the club
"David's been amazing for Man United, he's been there for 12 years, I think he's won the Player of the Year four or five times during his stint. You've just gotta applaud David, he's had his critics, he's had his mistakes but he's been a great servant to Man United."
The former Manchester United midfielder then alluded to Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. The Portuguese icon pushed to leave last summer before eventually being let go in November:
"It might be time for him to go if he's still not wanting to be here, I think it's happened a couple of years in a row now. And I think if you look at all the players that leave Cristiano and all the other players when they wanna go to Spain or wherever it is they want to go."
He added:
"If you stop them one year it then comes back the next year they want to go. I think sooner or later if you're not happy at the football club it might be time to move on."
David de Gea had a mixed past season which saw him earn both praises and criticism. He won Premier League's Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets in 38 games. However, he made some costly errors such as his poor effort to stop Ilkay Gundogan's winner in the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
The 32-year-old joined the Red Devils from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has gone on to make 545 appearances, keeping 190 clean sheets. He has won the Premier League, the Europa League and the FA Cup once, and the League Cup twice.
David de Gea hints at frustration over Manchester United's treatment
Manchester United have been accused of mistreating David de Gea during contract negotiations. The Spanish shot-stopper had agreed terms on a new deal but Ten Hag reportedly made a U-turn over the proposal.
De Gea is now without a club and his future at Old Trafford looks in doubt. He has hinted at his dissatisfaction with the way the club have handled his contractual situation on Twitter.
The veteran goalkeeper has posted two separate tweets, one with the yawn emoji and the other being an emoji of a juggler. Many are interpreting this to suggest that De Gea has grown irritated with the lack of decision-making regarding his future.