Ten Hag previews Man Utd's Premier League match against Aston Villa
In many ways, David De Gea has become a Wayne Rooney-like figure at Manchester United. The 32-year-old isn’t as good as he once was, football seems to be evolving and yet the Red Devils are still wary of letting him loose. As Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa creeps closer, Erik ten Hag clearly has a dilemma on his hands.
Rooney was a great asset for United during his prime years at Old Trafford, helping the club win five Premier League titles when Sir Alex Ferguson ruled the roost.
But, even before his exit in 2017, it was clear the England international was on the wane.
Louis van Gaal would admit as such after his Old Trafford departure, saying he knew Rooney was ‘over the hill’. In 2019, he said: “I’m sorry but he was over the hill. But in spite of that he was one of my best players.”
United were always wary of cutting Rooney loose, however.
The Red Devils gave him a huge £300,000-a-week contract in 2013, having managed to stop Chelsea from landing their prized asset.
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United, really, should have replaced Rooney long before his departure. In the end they didn’t, sticking by their No 10 in the hope he could keep on going.
It is a lesson that, perhaps, they would be wise to learn with regards to De Gea.
Like Rooney, the Spain international is a club legend. Without him, the years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement could have been even worse.
But he’s a goalkeeper out of time these days, for all of his amazing reflexes.
Keeping De Gea is the obvious, and safe, choice for the club to make. With other areas of the squad in need of addressing, it’s easy to see why Ten Hag would rather stick than twist.
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