Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has lauded goalkeeper David de Gea as the Spaniard prepares to make his 500th appearance for the Reds against Newcastle United on Sunday.
The 31-year-old, who signed for United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, will become just the 11th player in the club's history to reach such a milestone. De Gea has been the Reds' first-choice goalkeeper for a number of years, and has drawn praise from his manager ahead of a landmark occasion.
Ten Hag insisted that he 'values' the shot-stopper's talent and personality and praised the Spain international for setting the standards for his teammates.
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The Dutchman admitted that De Gea - who is out of contract at the end of the season - is one of the leaders in the dressing room.
''It is fantastic. If you perform in 500 games for a club like Manchester United, that tells a lot about you. The talent, the personality – so that achievement is huge and I really reward that, I value that, and I want to congratulate him [for] that," Ten Hag said.
When asked if the 31-year-old was a big influence amongst his teammates, the Reds boss added: ''Yeah, sure. He has one of the highest standards. He is pushing everyone every time, and to himself he does what he can, he gives 100 per cent, but that is also what we expect from him – that is the demand.
"He is an experienced player, he is one of the leaders, so we have to show that to push the team, then you have to be the example by itself.''
De Gea, who has started every game in the Premier League and Europa League this season, endured a difficult start to the season and make a couple of mistakes in the 4-0 defeat by Brentford in August. However, he has performed well in the past two months.
The Spaniard is likely to extent his stay at Old Trafford beyond this season, and admitted that he was keen to remain a United player for many years to come.
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