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Updated April 5th, 2021 at 17:52 IST

Manchester United No. 1 De Gea involved in feud with manager Solskjaer over starting role

Manchester United boss Solskjaer intended to drop De Gea and give Henderson a run of games earlier this season, but the Spaniard was unhappy with the decision.

Reported by: Arnold Dsouza
Manchester United
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David de Gea is approaching his 10th anniversary at Manchester United but might also be approaching the end of his Old Trafford career. A source close to the club has claimed that the relationship between De Gea and Solskjaer had been becoming a 'problem’ even before Dean Henderson was selected over the Spanish goalkeeper for the Premier League win over Brighton on Sunday. De Gea has not featured for United since the goalless draw against Chelsea on February 28, having returned to Spain for the birth of his first child, which has given Henderson a run of starts in goal.

However, De Gea has now watched Henderson’s past three displays — the victorious return tie against AC Milan, the FA Cup defeat by Leicester and the win over Brighton — from the bench. While speaking to reporters ahead of the game against Brighton, Solskjaer also indicated that De Gea was no longer guaranteed of a starting role, given Henderson's recent impressive displays between the posts. Henderson started in the 2-1 win over Brighton on Sunday, which kept Man United in second place on the Premier League table. 

Solskjaer planned to drop De Gea before Dean Henderson's Man United run? 

According to reports from the Manchester Evening News, there were tensions rising between United goalkeeper, David de Gea and manager, Solskjaer, even before the start of the year. It is believed that Solskjaer had initially intended to drop De Gea for Henderson as early as the visit of West Brom on November 21. However, when De Gea was informed of Solskjaer's intended selection, he reacted 'unhappily', forcing Solskjaer to restore him back into the starting line-up.

Despite playing a reliable role in Man United's backline for nearly a decade, De Gea came under heavy scrutiny for his below-par displays last season. The Spaniard made a couple of high-profile errors in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea and was then severely criticized by Man United great, Roy Keane, for his error against Tottenham in a Premier League game. At the time, Keane labelled De Gea "the most overrated goalkeeper" he'd seen. 

De Gea's poor displays then led to United bringing back Henderson from Sheffield United. However, the Spaniard still managed to keep his starting berth this season until he flew to Spain for the birth of his daughter at the end of February. Solskjaer also attempted to downplay his decision to retain Henderson against Brighton by insisting he has ‘two number ones’. However, sources close to the club state that United might have to offload one of either De Gea or Henderson in the summer. 

Image Credits - AP, David de Gea Instagram

 

 

 

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Published April 5th, 2021 at 17:52 IST

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