The Spaniard remains a free agent after leaving Old Trafford in the summer (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United are willing to commit an embarrassing U-turn over David de Gea by bringing the goalkeeper back to the club just a few months after casting him aside, according to reports.
The Spaniard, a four-time recipient of the club’s Player of the Year award, spent 12 seasons at Old Trafford before being released over the summer.
United were criticised for their treatment of the long-serving shot-stopper, who had an already drastically reduced salary offer taken off the table at the last minute before the club then went and signed Andre Onana.
De Gea had won the Premier League Golden Glove award in his final campaign with the Red Devils, and Onana has rather struggled to fill his boots.
Despite some measure of redemption in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Copenhagen, in which he saved a stoppage-time penalty to secure the victory, Onana has committed a string of gaffes in an underwhelming start to life at the club.
According to The Sun, in addition to his error-strewn displays, United have been left reeling by the 27-year-old’s decision to end his international retirement.
Onana had left the Cameroon setup after a falling out with head coach Rigobert Song during the World Cup in Qatar last year, flying home from the tournament early, but ended his exile last month to help the side qualify for the African Cup of Nations.
Onana could miss as many as nine games at the start of 2024 (Picture: Getty)
While he has yet to make a decision over whether he will play in the competition, which runs for a month over January and February, United are said to be worried they will lose their number one and be short of keepers at the turn of the year.
As such, they are now planning an astonishing bid to bring De Gea back to the club on a free transfer despite dumping him just a few months ago.
Were Cameroon to make the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, Onana could miss as many as nine games and United feel they need a more dependable keeper to fill in than their current options.
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Erik ten Hag currently has summer recruit Altay Bayindir and veteran Tom Heaton as his options but would prefer to have De Gea between the sticks for a run of games that includes hosting current league leaders Tottenham as well as away trips to Wolves and Aston Villa.
It is not yet clear if De Gea will entertain a return but he was spotted watching the United women’s team recently and has also met up with skipper Bruno Fernandes.
He has not signed with another club yet despite a number of offers and could accept a short-term deal until the end of the season which would also provide him with the chance to get the proper send-off he was denied.
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The Spaniard remains a free agent after leaving Old Trafford in the summer.