I want to stay and help United’s kids win something!
De Gea’s promise on the eve of joining the 500 club
DAVID DE GEA joins Manchester United's exclusive 500 club today with the ambition of becoming one of their longest-serving players. Goalkeeper De Gea, who has been at Old Thafford since 2011, will become only the 11th player in the club's history and the first from outside the UK and Ireland to record 500 appearances when he plays against Newcastle.
The 31-year-old Spaniard is in the final year of his contract, though United have an option of an extra 12 months. But with the club rebuilding under manager Erik ten Hag, he has revealed he would like to stay a lot longer than that.
This is my club and where I feel good,' he said. 'I'm playing well and I feel very well. I have many more years to play. Yes, I would like to stay here more years and make records for games and everything. I'd like to try to help the young people here as well with my experience and try to win trophies.' .. WWI
De Gea is the only member of United's Premier League squad who played in the club's last title season, under Alex Ferguson in 2013. After a difficult start to his career in England following an £18million move from Atletico Madrid, he became acknowledged as one of the world's best keepers.
He was voted the club's Players' Player of the Year four times and, after a move to Real Madrid fell through, he is in now within reach of Alex Stepney's club record of 539 appearances for a goalkeeper.
`I'm really proud and can't wait to play Newcastle and try to win. Nobody expects to play that many years and that many games. It's unbelievable and I consider it a privilege.' Though United started the season poorly, they are currently in the top six after last Sunday's win at Everton and have all but qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League. 'It's step by step in every training session and game. You cannot expect massive changes in just a couple of months,' said De Gea. need time to get better but the feel-ing is good. It is massive to have experienced players in the team who know how to deal with the pressure.' If De Gea plays 50 United games for the next five seasons, his tally of 750 would place him third in the all-time list behind Ryan Giggs (963) and Bobby Charlton (758).