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| DeGea's match winning save vs. Everton - 2014 |
I’m sure many United fans remember that
skinny kid from Madrid that Sir Alex Ferguson brought in from Atletico in 2011, and
claimed could be the next world class Manchester United goalkeeper. I was just as skeptical as everybody
else and that first season was a rough introduction for DeGea to life, not only
in the Premier League, but also to life in England in general. Hailing from his hometown of Madrid,
the rainy days in Manchester had to make home feel like a million miles
away. It’s funny saying that
because the one thing Cristiano Ronaldo says he doesn’t miss when he compares
life in Manchester to that in Madrid, and that being the consistently rainy
days. But lets get back to that
skinny kid who Sir Alex was looking to turn to between the sticks at Old
Trafford. It seems like folklore
now but then he was known for his steady diet of tacos daily and for not having
the biggest affinity for the weight room.
What he did have to his advantage was the advantage of Eric Steele, one
of the best goalkeeping coaches in the world, to work with him every single
day, along with the guidance and mentorship of Sir Alex who continued to show
faith in the young man that he believed could succeed and ultimately take
Manchester United to the next level as a goalkeeper.
To say that David DeGea ultimately repaid
that faith Sir Alex shown in him would not be a massive understatement. Even after the retirement of United’s
legendary boss, DeGea flourished even further under David Moyes and goalkeeping
coach Chris Woods. In 2013-14 he
was voted by his teammates as Manchester United’s Player of the Year for his
outstanding play week in week out.
Although it was a very disappointing season for the club overall, there
is no doubt that United wouldn’t have been anywhere near 7th place
if not for their outstanding young goalkeeper. It was midway through that 13-14 season that the Real Madrid
rumors began to creep up. Slowly
but surely, when a player begins to shine, no matter what club they play for;
they are immediately on Real’s radar.
DeGea continually said that he loves Manchester and was fully committed
to the club.
Due to that disastrous season and 7th
place finish in the Premier League, David Moyes was sacked with 4 games
remaining in the season, coincidentally the day after United were beaten away
at Goodison Park, where Moyes had managed for the previous 11 seasons. Out went Moyes, and in came Louis Van
Gaal. Due to the knee injury
suffered by Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who was in line to back Iker Casillas
for Spain at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, DeGea was chosen to replace him on
the roster. His inclusion was
definitely well deserved and only raised his profile that much more in Spain.
Once the 2014-15 season got under way, it
was obvious from the beginning that David DeGea was taking his game to the next
level. His performance at Old
Trafford vs. Everton where he made 3 incredible saves in the last 10 minutes to
secure all 3 points for United was just the beginning. The moniker #DaveSaves became infamous
on Twitter for United fans across the globe every time DeGea put on another
outstanding performance. However
with every outstanding performance, it seemed Iker Casillas would have the
exact opposite in Madrid, which only further fueled speculation that Real would
make a hard play for DeGea’s services this summer no matter what the transfer
fee United was asking. After all,
Manchester United, by dollar amount is the 3rd wealthiest club but
of course Real Madrid is #1 on that same list. In short, either club can basically afford to buy any player
in world football that they want, at any time. All it takes is an agreement on transfer fees and ultimately
the final decision lies with the player.
The second half of the 2014-15 season saw
DeGea have remarkable showing after incredible showing. Many newspapers in Spain already
started reporting that DeGea had agreed on personal terms with Real Madrid
months ago and would ultimately make the move back home this coming summer! To
his credit, DeGea has remained silent on the matter and has only supported
United at every turn. His
enthusiasm after key victories especially once we clinched Champions League
next season, which lead many to believe that he would stay. He was once again voted by his teammates
as the 2014-15 Player of the Year, and rightfully so. Manchester United would not have finished 4th and
qualified for UEFA Champions League next season if not for David DeGea. In United’s final home match last week
against Arsenal, DeGea was subbed off in the second half with an apparent
hamstring injury. He received a
rousing ovation and clapped the United fans as he made his way to the tunnel
and back to the locker room.
Victor Valdes replaced him for the final half hour of the match with
Arsenal, and deputized for DeGea in the season finale away @ Hull City. DeGea did return from the locker room
with the rest of the squad for the traditional lap of honor the players give
the fans after every final home game at Old Trafford each season, and yet many
United fans were worried that this very well may be the last time we see him in
a United shirt.
Louis Van Gaal has been very upfront and
honest with every question regarding David DeGea and his future. He has stated that the keeper has been
offered a lot of money, (rumors say upwards of $200k per week) but that the
decision ultimately lies with DeGea.
Van Gaal has said that United do have a plan in place should DeGea
decide he wants to return home and play for Real Madrid. LVG has also said that DeGea will need
to make a decision soon so that United can proceed with their plans for the
summer and the immediate future in goal.
Personally, I have no problem with Victor Valdes being our #1 keeper
next season but obviously I’d love to see DeGea buck the trend and show his
loyalty to Manchester United who took a chance on him back in 2011. I can understand the allure and draw of
having the opportunity to return home to play for the biggest football club in
the world in Real Madrid. However,
it is well known how Madridistas treat their players if they aren’t playing up
to their expectations, and Gareth Bale and Iker Casillas are perfect examples
of that this season. Should he
choose to stay, he will become a legend at Manchester United, and for the rest
of his life his name will be sung with gusto by fans everywhere. However should he make the other
decision to leave, many if not most United fans will understand the decision
and will thank him for his time and service to the club. It obviously won’t be on par with that
of Ronaldo, who still has his chant sang to this very day, but Manchester
United fans will always remember what he did for our club!
I personally am up in the air right now
about what I think he may do. He
has kept everything so close to the vest that he hasn’t really given any
indication either way which way he is leaning. With 1 year left on his deal, I believe Ed Woodward and
Louis Van Gaal will set a date by which he must sign an extension or they will
begin negotiations with Real Madrid regarding transfer fees. There is no way that United will allow
their most prized asset to walk on a free transfer next summer. That simply won’t happen. Recently in the past few weeks as the
Barclays Premier League was winding down, I began using the #PrayDaveStays as well as
#DaveSaves. I personally feel like
locking in DeGea to a long-term deal would be the best piece of transfer
business they could do this summer.
I’ve also grown a bit tired of us being a feeder club to Real Madrid
(Van Nistelrooy, Beckham, Ronaldo, etc) and United only receiving one player,
Angel DiMaria in return! Obviously
we know it’s going to be a very busy summer in the transfer market and Van Gaal
has again been given unlimited funds to go out and make his squad better! However the key component of every
great United squad we have had, the Champions League winning squads, always
started from the back, with outstanding goalkeepers (Schmeichel/VanDerSar, and
a solid defensive back line. If Manchester
United wants to return to both English and European championship glory, then we
need David DeGea in goal to lead the way!
It doesn’t get much more simple than that. Just like I’ve been saying for the past couple months,
#PrayDaveStays!
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