Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's best business yet: Persuading David De Gea to stay at United is a masterstroke… and with Harry Maguire set to lead the defence, fans can expect the Spaniard to return to top form

  • There were real fears that David De Gea was going to leave Manchester United
  • His £375,000-a-week deal will sting but makes perfect business sense
  • If he wants to quit Old Trafford a year from now he will command a huge fee
  • Building a team is a jigsaw but with De Gea the first piece is firmly in place 

With world-class players at a premium, the news that goalkeeper David De Gea is to sign a new contract at Old Trafford gives Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a massive boost during a difficult period for the club.

Paul Pogba's future and Alexis Sanchez's injury problems can be temporarily set aside as Solskjaer knows there is one position – the No 1 – he doesn't have to worry about any more.

There were genuine fears 28-year-old De Gea was going to leave, an additional problem United didn't need as they seek a new identity and young fresh faces after a dismal sixth-place finish last season.

David De Gea is set to sign a massive new deal with Manchester United after agreeing terms

David De Gea is set to sign a massive new deal with Manchester United after agreeing terms

PSG, Juventus and Real Madrid were all circling United like vultures as the Spaniard went into the final 12 months of his contract.


Negotiations to keep him have been long, arduous and not cheap. But while a £375,000-a-week deal may draw comparisons to Sanchez or Mesut Ozil at Arsenal as a lot of money down the drain, this contract actually makes business sense.

If De Gea has itchy feet in a year's time his market value would be £70million at least, dwarfing the £19.5m they will pay him over the next 12 months.

Of course, United won't want it to come to that – the win-win scenario is De Gea returns to the form that saw him judged the best goalkeeper in the world and United can build from the back towards another trophy-laden era.

For all the publicity about Sir Alex Ferguson believing in youth, pace and energy, he always maintained that a club with the might of Manchester United should buy and keep the best in the business.

It is a masterstroke from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to persuade the Spaniard to stay put

The goalkeeper could return to his best form with the certainty of a new deal behind him

The goalkeeper could return to his best form with the certainty of a new deal behind him

He did it time and time again with Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, Jaap Stam, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Robin van Persie and De Gea himself – the £19m price tag from Atletico Madrid raising eyebrows back in 2011.

De Gea has since repaid United's judgment many times, winning a clean sweep of the domestic trophies – Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup – and keeping 128 clean sheets in 362 appearances. His peers have voted him five times into his Premier League team of the year.

DAVID DE GEA'S STATS FROM LAST SEASON:  

Appearances - 47

Saves - 144

Goals conceded - 63

Clean sheets - 10  

Advertisement

His 14 saves against Arsenal in 2017, where he was described as a 'one-man spider's web', is regarded as one of the great individual Premier League performances.

Last season, he finally seemed to be affected by United's post-Ferguson malaise, or was he distracted by where his future lay? He dropped a rick to Ronaldo in the World Cup and took that uncharacteristically jittery form back to Old Trafford.

United will believe once the contract is announced, it will be the old De Gea back – starting when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

'We've got the best goalkeeper in the world,' said Solskjaer shortly after taking over from Jose Mourinho.

He was desperate to keep him and perhaps fortunate that FFP restrictions prevented PSG from making a bid to blow United out the water, given they have Neymar and Kylian Mbappe already on their books.

De Gea is a major piece in the jigsaw for Solskjaer, who is rebuilding the first team squad

De Gea is a major piece in the jigsaw for Solskjaer, who is rebuilding the first team squad

Leicester's Harry Maguire is a target for United and would shore up the defence next season

De Gea lifts the Premier League trophy in 2013 - United would love to see him back at his best

De Gea lifts the Premier League trophy in 2013 - United would love to see him back at his best

De Gea was a raw youngster when he joined United and took 12 months to come to terms with they physicality of the Premier League. Paul Scholes, who was still at the club, admitted having initial doubts about him. 'He has proven those who believed in him right. He has gone on to save United so many times,' he says.

Now Solskjaer will look to De Gea, a possible captain of this team, as one of the senior figures in the dressing-room as he rebuilds. Nobody has reflexes like him. 

If there is one weakness, it is the way he commands his penalty area and that may become less important if United buy Harry Maguire, so dominant in the air that England manager Gareth Southgate noted: 'He gets his bonce on everything'.

United have plenty of issues to resolve. Will Pogba and Romelu Lukaku stay? Can they add Maguire and others to the signings of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James? Can Alexis Sanchez justify his sky-high salary?

Building a football team is like building a jigsaw. At least Solskjaer looks as if he has the first piece on the board in place.

United are on pre-season tour and there is plenty of transfer work going on behind the scenes

United are on pre-season tour and there is plenty of transfer work going on behind the scenes

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.