Erik Ten Hag insists David De Gea retains his full backing as Manchester United’s No1 and confirmed he wants the Spaniard to sign a new contract at the club.
De Gea’s mistake gifted West Ham the only goal of the game in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at the London Stadium, the goalkeeper failing to keep out Said Benrahma’s tame effort on 27 minutes.
The 32-year-old has more clean sheets than any other Premier League goalkeeper this season, but has also made four errors leading directly to goals across all competitions, the joint-most alongside Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris.
De Gea is out of contract this summer, but Ten Hag is hopeful that the club’s longest-serving player will extend his 12-year stay.
“He has the most clean sheets in the league so we would not be here in this position without him,” Ten Hag said. “He has fully my brief, no concerns.
“It happens but as a team you have to deal with it, show character, be resilient and bounce back. This team will do.”
Asked whether De Gea retained his faith long-term, Ten Hag added: “We want him to stay and extend his contract.”
Defeat for United, as well as Newcastle’s loss at home to Arsenal earlier on Sunday, means the top four race is suddenly back on, with fifth-placed Liverpool now just a point behind Ten Hag’s side.
David de Gea will not want to see this one again! 🫣
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 7, 2023
Saïd Benrahma is gifted the opener of the game pic.twitter.com/5YOORsFsQ4
Jurgen Klopp’s side have played a game more than United, but are on a run of six straight League wins and head into the finals weeks of the campaign with the momentum.
“Nothing changes,” Ten Hag said. “We could have made it easier with a win but we need three wins in four games so everything is in our hands and we have to believe now.
“It’s not about Liverpool, it’s about us and because of the table we have everything in our hands. If we bring our performance and our standards we’ll win games. We don’t have to look to others, we have to look at ourselves and find a way to win and get back to our levels.”
