De Gea eyes Man Utd captaincy as agreement over new contract closes in

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking for a new leader after the departure of Antonio Valencia, and the goalkeeper sees himself as a candidate for the job
David de Gea says he would be “really happy” to be named Manchester United captain and insists he is ready to fight for trophies at Old Trafford as he closes in on a new deal.

The Spain international has been in talks over a new contract at Old Trafford for a number of months and now appears set to commit his future to the Premier League outfit.

With Antonio Valencia having departed the club at the end of last season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is searching for a new permanent captain, and De Gea wants to be considered.
Speaking at an event for supporters in Singapore on Sunday night, the 28-year-old said: “I’ve been captain for some games. Of course it is amazing to be captain of a club like Manchester United and defend this badge.

“It’s amazing, so of course I’ll be really, really happy to captain.

“It’s my ninth season, I feel like one of the most experienced players.

“I need to show that on the pitch and try to help the young guys know what Manchester United means and that’s important.”

After a disappointing start to the season under Jose Mourinho that saw the Portuguese lose his job, Solskjaer eventually led United to a sixth-placed finish, five points back from fourth-placed Tottenham.

The Red Devils failed to find success in any cup competitions either, crashing out of the Champions League in the quarter-final stages to Barcelona despite having achieved a monumental comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.



De Gea was at fault for some crucial goals, letting a Lionel Messi strike past him against Barca and making another error against Chelsea to realistically end his side’s hopes of a Premier League top-four spot.

“We have to improve a lot,” the shot-stopper continued.
“We are Manchester United, we need to fight for trophies. When you put on this badge, that’s what it means – fight for everything, give your best and bring the team again to the top.”

The Spaniard will line-up against the Blues again on the opening day of the 2019-20 campaign as Man Utd host Frank Lampard’s side on August 11.

Juan Mata hopes his team-mate’s transfer saga will be over by then, and would also like to see Paul Pogba stay at Old Trafford.

Source:www.goal.com