Delay in David De Gea’s new Man Utd contract explained

David De Gea TEAMtalk

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea only signed a new deal at Old Trafford after he was given assurances over the future direction of the club, claims a report.

The Spain keeper became the best-paid goalkeeper in the world on Monday when he signed a new four-year deal worth around £375,000 a week. The lucrative new deal could net the 28-year-old more than £97m before tax, after he finally penned the agreement.

De Gea had been in contract talks with the club for months with his future uncertain for over 18 months; Solskjaer always maintained he was confident the keeper would pledge his future to the club and it now appears the delay was down to the former Atletico Madrid man seeking assurances.

The Times reports that De Gea wanted to be sure the “ambition” of the club matched his own.

“The Times understands that De Gea was reluctant to commit his future to United unless he was satisfied about the ambition and direction of the club. De Gea did not want to sign until he was sure that United will start challenging for the Premier League again,” read the report.

United have not won the league since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013 and last season they finished sixth – a mammoth 22 points behind neighbours and champions Manchester City.

Apparently De Gea “is now convinced that the team are heading in the right direction under Solskjaer”, and the keeper “felt he needed to pay back Solskjaer” after the Norwegian stood by him after high-profile mistakes last season.

David De Gea (image from Man Utd)

De Gea was due to be out of contract next summer and could have left on a free amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

“As one of the senior players in the squad, I want to support and lead in any way that I can to assist the younger players, so they know what it means to play here. I still feel that I have so much more to achieve at the club and I truly believe that Manchester United can build on the club’s tradition of success and reward our fans for their support,” said De Gea.

“I am committed to continue repaying the fans for all of the care that they’ve shown me during the good times and the bad.”