Erik ten Hag is refusing to guarantee that David de Gea will be Manchester United 's first-choice goalkeeper next season as talks over the Spaniard's future continue.
De Gea, 32, has been locked in contract negotiations with United for months but has been heavily scrutinised by fans and pundits alike after a string of high-profile errors this term. And that scrutiny is only set to increase after the veteran shot-stopper was at fault for the only goal of the game as United fell to a 1-0 loss at West Ham on Sunday night.
Despite his latest howler, De Gea is believed to be close to agreeing terms on a fresh contract that will keep him at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season - however, it remains to be seen if he will still be Manchester United's No.1 next term.
According to The Telegraph, De Gea has receieved 'no assurances' from Ten Hag that he will still be first-choice going forward, with the Manchester United boss determined to 'keep his options open'.
United are admirers of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, while the report also outlines that the club have kept tabs on Porto shot-stopper Diogo Costa.
It was reported as far back as January that Ten Hag is keen on acquiring a new goalkeeper, with concerns over De Gea's ability to play out from the back. However, Ten Hag once again defended his current No.1 on Sunday after his latest howler.
Ten Hag told BT Sport after the match: "Yes [it was a bad error], but mistakes are part of football. As a team, you have to deal with it and bounce back. It's a team sport. Like you said, over the season, he's the person with the most clean sheets. Everyone has to take responsibility."
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And he doubled down on those comments in his post-match press conference after the match, adding: "We want him to stay and we want him to extend his contract."
It was reported earlier in the season that De Gea has already indicated that he will take a cut on his £375,000-a-week salary in order to extend his spell at the club. His new contract will include a much lower basic salary along with several performance-related add-ons.
De Gea has spent more than a decade at Old Trafford after being signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Atletico Madrid back in 2011.
As well as searching for a new No.1, United are also expected to offload academy graduate Dean Henderson in the summer. The 26-year-old has spent the season on loan at Nottingham Forest and is ready to quit the club to play regular first-term football elsewhere.
