Erik ten Hag DISAGREES with Man United chiefs on crucial upcoming decision

Erik ten Hag is in disagreement with Manchester United chiefs on the future of David de Gea as his contract enters its final two weeks.

De Gea, 32, has yet to sign a new deal at Old Trafford and is currently set to leave the club on 30 July unless he extends in the next thirteen days.

He was left out of the club’s retained list which was released on Friday, with the club saying that discussions “remain open” with the Spaniard.

Read More: Mason Greenwood included in Manchester United’s retained list as seven players leave club

Erik ten Hag publicly backed the goalkeeper when he came under fire at multiple points last season. However, he did state that his position in United’s starting XI was not guaranteed going forward.

Latest reports have expanded on the manager’s preference, with Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail saying that despite the framework of a new deal to reduce De Gea’s current salary being agreed some time ago, the Dutch manager is unconvinced about keeping him as no.1 and would rather sign a new first-choice keeper.

Although, the report added that the fee for a replacement – in the ilk of David Raya of Brentford, or Inter’s Andre Onana – would be in the range of £40 million, which underlines the issues United face this summer working on a tighter budget to meet financial fair play requirements.

There is a need to sell players to finance more new signings this summer and the club would prefer to secure De Gea on a new deal rather than have to buy a replacement. However, Ten Hag has reservations.

This suggests that there is a big decision to be made. The manager disagrees with the strategy the club wants to take, but could possibly have to bow down due to financial reasons.

If that were to occur, it would not be the first time that a United manager was not backed within the decision making process and with Ten Hag’s preference on how he ideally wants his goalkeepers to play – and De Gea’s inability to provide those attributes – it is not only a simple decision, it will base how his team approach next season.