Manchester United transfer news: David De Gea ‘not irreplaceable’ insists Edwin van der Sar

The Spanish goalkeeper could leave for free next summer when his contract runs out

Jack Rathborn
Friday 13 September 2019 04:12 EDT
Comments
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defends David De Gea after yet another mistake for Manchester United

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Edwin van der Sar insists David De Gea is not irreplaceable at Manchester United as his contract winds down.

The former Dutch goalkeeper, current the chief executive at Ajax, has joined the debate over the Spaniard.

With De Gea able to leave for free next summer and officially open talks with clubs from January, Van der Sar has moved to calm any fears about De Gea being irreplaceable.

“The decision needs to come at a certain point,” Van der Sar said.

“It takes a long time now, so it’s a case of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but I’m not a director of United.

“Other goalkeepers can also fill the gap. There are a few Premier League goalkeepers playing at the club who can also take the step up.

“I was 34 when I went to United. So there are lots of opportunities there.”

Van der Sar did leap to De Gea’s defence when questioned on the United No 1’s drop in form.

De Gea could leave for free next summer
De Gea could leave for free next summer (AFP/Getty Images)

“No. That happened to me, it happened to Ryan Giggs also, to everyone,” Van der Sar insisted.

“Your form differs. He has been for so long at such a high level, so at a certain point it gets noticed, maybe not the first two times, but then people start to write about it. But he’ll be fine. He’s a great goalkeeper.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in