Ten Hag continues to play David de Gea situation perfectly by refusing to commit over his future

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag responded diplomatically to a question over David de Gea‘s future at the club.

De Gea’s contract expires at the end of the season. United have an option to extend by a further year.

No decision has been made over the goalkeeper’s future, which is complicated by the fact he is the club’s second highest earning player behind Cristiano Ronaldo

Ten Hag told the club website he is open minded over De Gea’s situation and is in no rush to make a decision.

The boss explained: “We didn’t make a decision on him but what I can say is I’m really happy with David de Gea as a ‘keeper.

“The first two games of the season were not his best performances but after it, you see he brings us a lot for the defence, the defensive department, he gives stability and, as a person also, I like him.

“I can cooperate really well with him but first we go to the winter and then we will talk about how we deal with situations.”

Ten Hag continues to play David de Gea situation perfectly

Ten Hag is playing this situation perfectly by refusing to commit to extending the goalkeeper’s contract.

The smart decision is clearly to release De Gea at the end of the season, to sign a more modern, younger goalkeeper, who could cost a fraction of the Spaniard’s salary.

Ten Hag may realise this already, but he is not going to unsettle De Gea or the United side in the meantime by publicly expressing announcing plans to move on.

De Gea’s situation is an emotive one. He has made 500 club appearances, he is happy at United, and wants to stay. He is also very highly regarded by his teammates.

Ten Hag is not afraid to make big decisions, he has shown this already. But he is also being open-minded, keeping the door open for the manager to improve.

If De Gea can improve his limitations, becoming better on the ball, quicker out the box and off his line, then Ten Hag will reward him with a new deal. There are some positive signs of improvement already.

A middle solution may simple be to renew his deal by an extra year, to see if improvement can continue in 2023/24.

Once De Gea is locked into a long-term deal, that’s it. United won’t get the opportunity to sell him, considering his high wages. Ten Hag is right to take his time on this, and keep his options open.

The chance to simply release De Gea cleanly and move on, to sign a goalkeeper of Ten Hag’s choosing is a real opportunity, and one the club are right to carefully consider.

If Ten Hag’s decision is already made up to release De Gea, by keeping his intentions under wraps, he is playing it smartly.