The real David de Gea is back, hints Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: 'You can see it in his eyes'

Manchester United via Getty Imag
James Robson @jamesrobsonES18 September 2019

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has indicated for the first time that David de Gea was distracted by protracted contract negotiations at Manchester United.

The Spain international endured an alarming slump in form at the end of last season when he was culpable for a series of high profile gaffes.

He ended the uncertainty over his future this week by signing a new four-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months, which makes him the highest paid goalkeeper in the world on around £375,000-a-week.

A factor De Gea’s his decision not to run down his deal is believed to have been the support shown by Solskjaer during his crisis of confidence last term.

United’s manager believes the club are already seeing the benefits of tying the 28-year-old down after he produced an outstanding save to deny James Maddison in Saturday’s crucial 1-0 win against Leicester.

In Pictures | David de Gea signs Man Utd contract | 16/09/2019

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And he is confident he will resume his finest form under new senior goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis and his long-term coach Emilio Alvarez.

“David is delighted,” said the Norwegian. “I think you could see by his performance against Leicester that he’d made up his mind.

“You could see the focus in his eyes again and it gives everyone that plays in front of him a boost. Because you do feel very secure with a focused David behind you.

“He’s really worked hard this season and with Richard coming in as a coach with Emilio we are going to see more of him.

“He is still young. Edwin (van der Sar) signed when he was 35, so I’m sure David will be part of a successful United.”

United spent the best part of two years trying to convince De Gea to commit his future to Old Trafford, with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain among the clubs ready to move for him as a free agent at the end of the season.

“Most of the time we get to keep the ones we want to keep,” added Solskjaer. “The more I got to listen in (on negotiations) and speak to David, I was pretty confident that we were going to make it.”

De Gea, who was the club’s player of the season in four years out of five, has been assured of United’s ambitions to return to the summit of English football.

In Pictures | David de Gea's best saves for Man Utd | 27/02/19

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He said: “Now my future is fixed, all I want is to help this team achieve what I believe we can and win trophies again, together.

“As one of the senior players in the squad I want to support and lead in any way that I can to assist the younger players, so they know what it means to play here.

Manchester United via Getty Imag

“I still feel that I have so much more to achieve at the club and I truly believe that Manchester United can build on the club’s tradition of success and reward our fans for their support.

“I am committed to continue repaying the fans for all of the care that they’ve shown me during the good times and the bad.”

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