David de Gea hints at retiring at Manchester United

• Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is out of contract at the end of next season at Old Trafford.
• The 31-year-old shot-stopper has hinted at extending his contract with the Premier League side.
• De Gea has thrashed rumours that he will be leaving Manchester for a La Liga side, saying he feels at home in Manchester where he has spent a huge chank of his career.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has publicly hinted that he will spend his future at the club amid upcoming new contract talks and has also revealed that he feels like is ‘from Manchester’ after spending nearly 11 years in the city as a Manchester United number one.

De Gea was just 20 years old when he first arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2011, identified by Sir Alex Ferguson and then goalkeeping coach Eric Steele as the man to replace Edwin van der Sar, going on to become the best goalkeeper in the world by 2014.

Now 31, the Spaniard is rediscovering his best form after putting an alarming slump behind him.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. | PHOTO: Getty Images |

His current contract is due to expire at the end of next season, although it carries an option for a 12-month extension, and it has been reported recently that United officials wish to sit down with De Gea and his representatives to discuss his long-term future.

In a fresh boost, De Gea himself has confirmed his desire to retire from football at Old Trafford.

Speaking to UEFA ahead of facing former club Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week, he said, “I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it’s just a city. Now I feel as if I’m from Manchester; I just feel like anyone else from Manchester.

“Where you are loved and welcomed in your home. I’ve been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly, I don’t see myself away from Manchester United.”

De Gea was famously just minutes away from joining Real Madrid on summer transfer deadline day in 2015 – a £29m deal that included Keylor Navas in part-exchange was agreed – but the paperwork was not submitted in time. It was billed as a homecoming for the Madrid native, although these days he considers himself just as much at home in the northwest of England.