Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League knockouts, Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea was in the spotlight as the team's next opponent, Atletico Madrid, happened to be his old club, his first time facing his old boss since his 2011 move. But the Spanish international has stated that it has integrated into Manchester, hinting that it will eventually grow old.
De Gea's contract expires in 2023 with a one-year priority renewal. Recently, the British media rumors that Manchester United will renew de Gea's contract and extend the contract without a salary increase. The 31-year-old Spaniard also responded positively, saying he was already the equivalent of a manchester local player. "I love my hometown of Madrid, but it's just a city after all." De Gea said, "Now, I feel as if I'm a Manchester native, and my thinking is the same as that of the people of Manchester, that feeling of being pampered and welcomed in my hometown." I've been here for over 10 years and it's clear that life is unpredictable and the world of football is even more volatile, but honestly, I don't think I'm leaving Manchester United."
Referring to The Champions League round of 16 between Manchester United and Atletico, De Gea said he would not be merciful to his old club. "In this game, I will go home and go back to the club that gave me my career debut, without whom I would not be where I am today. But it's just an ordinary game, everybody wants me to perform well, to win the game, it's the Champions League." "I bless Atletico, but I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing against them, but like everyone, my goal is to win," De Gea said.
De Gea said his self-confidence and mental strength stemmed from his experience at Atletico's youth training. "At the time, I was the third goalkeeper after Sergio Asenjo and Roberto." "I've always believed in myself, I've done a lot of training just to prove, 'I'm here, I'm young, but I'm good enough,'" he said. I tried my best to do my best, and then, luckily for me, unfortunate for Roberto, he was injured and I had a chance to prove myself."
"When Coach Quake (Flores) was in charge, the team changed. We won game after game and for a while I was competing with Arsenal and the coach chose me. I played in almost every game, we reached the Europa League final and won the title; we also got to the Copa del Rey final and unfortunately lost. Then we beat that great Inter and won the UEFA Super Cup."
This season, De Gea has improved his form, saving Manchester United with multiple saves. However, there are still fans who are skeptical about his passing level, and the Red Devils emphasize that his skills are not bad at his feet, and he was a striker when he was young!
"The goalkeeper's first task is to stop the goal, which is the most important thing." "Then, if you have the talent to handle the ball with your feet and have a good view, it's amazing," De Gea said. I'm also very comfortable handling the ball with my feet, I can pass the ball at the back and follow the team's tactics, but it depends on the coach and his style of play. In Spain, we are all in a high defensive position, and that's how I play in the youth team. United also use high-post pressing, but you know, some opponents are fast and talented, and if you don't do a good job of pressing, there will be problems behind you. The goalkeeper also has to leave the goal line, anticipate the opponent's pass and help the defense."
Meanwhile, Manchester United captain Harry Maguire explained why he was in the PS audience in a photo of the goal in celebration after the last round of the Premier League, which was the head of one of his friends who was a Leeds United fan.