"I have to repeat, last game, last week, every time, we want him to stay, he wants to stay, we will find each other."
Erik ten Hag has been clear on the future of goalkeeper David de Gea for quite some time at Manchester United. The Dutchman wants the stopper who has been first choice since he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2011 to continue his time in M16.
The 32-year-old's contract expires at the end of June when he could walk away from the club for free. Should no agreement be reached, then the goalkeeper's time on the pitch on the final day of the Premier League season against Fulham would have been his last at Old Trafford.
However, all parties seem confident that an agreement will be reached, despite the sticking point of the player's wages and a potential reduction which appears to have held things up. But De Gea may well end up extending his stay at United beyond a 12th season.
It might seem on the face of it that United's goalkeeping issue is solved and that could well be the case, it could be argued. De Gea is still a good stopper, the holder of the Premier League Golden Glove and, when Phil Jones departs this summer, will be the only player in the current United squad to have won the top flight title.
But even if De Gea does continue to be at United, the Old Trafford club must look to a future beyond the Spaniard being the first choice shot stopper. This summer is an opportunity to begin that process.
Looking individually at the options behind De Gea currently in the pecking order, Dean Henderson, currently out injured, has spent the campaign at Nottingham Forest. For a time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it looked like the Cumbrian would genuinely compete for the number one jersey and provide a proper battle for De Gea to earn his place in the United team.
But at the age of 26 and having played in the Premier League for a few seasons now with both Sheffield United and now Forest, if he is not going to make the grade at United and be a regular then he must surely depart Old Trafford permanently in the search of more regular game time which he will no doubt get elsewhere. Letting Henderson go will also raise funds for United in the transfer market, with Forest keen to complete a move.
Jack Butland was brought in on loan in January from Crystal Palace. He essentially replaced Martin Dubravka in the squad after he was recalled from his loan spell by parent club Newcastle United.
Butland will soon depart Old Trafford upon the end of his loan spell having not played one minute for the club. A move to Rangers is mooted to be his next move.
Behind them, 37-year-old Tom Heaton in his second spell at United is essentially fulfilling the role that Scott Carson has carried out at Manchester City in recent years. An experienced stopper at third-choice who is handed the odd appearance in one of the cup competitions and would only really be expected to be relied upon regularly amid an injury crisis in the goalkeeping department.
At the age of 32, De Gea is by no means in the twilight years of his playing career. The unique position of a goalkeeper brings with it longevity greater than outfield roles and it is not uncommon to see stoppers continue until they near, or occasionally surpass, their 40th birthday.
But United must still be thinking of a long-term succession plan for the former Atletico Madrid man even if he does stay on at Old Trafford. They can ill-afford to have a repeat of the last time an influential goalkeeper departed without a worthy successor ready to step into the breach.
When Peter Schmeichel left United after winning the Treble in 1999, United turned to the likes of Mark Bosnich, Raimond van der Gouw, Massimo Taibi, Fabian Barthez, Tim Howard and Roy Carroll as they aimed to find the heir to the Great Dane. Edwin van der Sar's arrival in the summer of 2005 from Fulham for £2m ended that search and the Dutchman was the club's first choice for the next six years.
De Gea succeeded Van der Sar upon the latter's retirement and there is no doubt United have got great value out of the nearly £19m they parted company with in 2011 for his services. That time may well be extended in due course.
But bringing in another goalkeeper who can truly compete with De Gea for the gloves to make Ten Hag make a tough decision when it comes to team selection for this position and potentially go on to succeed him one day ought to be a priority for United boss this summer. United are considering a move for Anderlecht stopper Bart Verbruggen, who was this time last year courted by Burnley.
Adding another stopper who can match De Gea will also give the goalkeeper the added knowledge that when he does make a mistake, there is somebody else right behind him who can take his place and capitalise on any errors if they become more regular. For most of his United career, it has not felt like that has been the case.
United have big priorities this summer in the transfer market and bringing in a new striker is rightly at the top of that list, as is another central midfielder. But bringing in another goalkeeper who is, or could one day be, the equal of De Gea ought to be very high up on that piece of that squad audit too.
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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