Gary Neville does not expect David De Gea to have much of a Manchester United future under Erik ten Hag.
Having been signed to the club under legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson all the way back in 2011, De Gea, 31, is one of the Red Devils’ longest-serving players.
Featuring in nearly 500 first-team matches, across all competitions, although his form has been questionable at times, after pulling off countless world-class moments, it is fair to say that the Spain international will go down as one of the club’s all-time greats.
However, lacking some attributes, including the ability to play possession-based football, former defender turned pundit Neville believes the 31-year-old’s days at Old Trafford are numbered.
“We’re seeing a lot less of it [counter-attacking football], it’s becoming a lot less of a theory that can succeed in football,” Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast (as quoted by MEN).
Read more: £35m Man United midfielder ‘surplus to requirements’ under Erik Ten Hag
“It makes the team that is trying that tactic look really poor, negative and like they have no idea.
“It’s where United maybe were under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sometimes in big games, when they had no other idea other than sitting back, thinking we’ll counter-attack. We’re seeing less success with that type of football.
“Other than Leicester, there hasn’t really been a team that hasn’t dominated possession most of the time that has won the Premier League in the last 15 or 20 years. Not really now, you have to be a very proactive team and on the front foot, pressing.
“That’s where Erik ten Hag, to be fair to him, has stepped back. We saw a graphic about the last four games, which they had 42% possession, but they had 62% possession when they were losing [Brighton and Brentford], but also they’ve played more long balls.
“I think he’s had to step back to go forward, but we all know where Ten Hag wants to get this United team, he wants 75% possession, players that can handle the ball, defenders can handle the ball and the goalkeeper needs to be brilliant on the ball.
“I suspect with David de Gea, his United career is going to be shortlived under Ten Hag because he’s going to be adamant that his philosophy of playing out from the back, playing those risky passes to the midfield that we see with Ederson all the time, that we no longer see as risky because they do it so well, is something that he’s striving for and that he wants to get to.”
De Gea currently has one year left on his contract. The club does have the option to extend it by another year, and considering how vocal the former Atletico Madrid shot-stopper has been about how much he enjoys living in Manchester, it is clear which option he’d prefer.
When it comes to Neville’s prediction though – only time will tell.
