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Manchester United have finally confirmed the signing of Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea on a five year deal. The Spaniard had been endlessly linked to an Old Trafford move in past weeks, and a deal was reported to be imminent for some time now. Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping that he has found a worthy successor to veteran custodian Edwin van der Sar.
De Gea seemed understandably delighted at the move, and he spoke to MUTV energetically about his motivation to do well for the club and his immense pride and satisfaction at joining. He said-
“I feel very proud and I can’t wait to start playing here.
“When a club the size of Manchester United comes in for you it obviously makes you very, very happy.
“I saw their interest as an extra motivation to work even harder to show off my ability.
“It’s a great privilege to be part of a club like United and I’m keen to do my best and show what I can do.”
Although the transfer fee has not yet been officially announced, it is believed to be in the region of 18 million pounds, which would make de Gea the most expensive goalkeeper in English football.
De Gea broke into the Atletico first team in 2009 and his development has shown no signs of slowing down ever since. He has moved from strength to strength, being one of the most consistent performer for Atletico. He also earned a call-up to the Spain U-21’s and played a major part in their recent success in the European Championships held in Denmark.
According to Opta Stats, de Gea made 88 saves from shots inside the box, the highest of any keeper in the La Liga. The youngster certainly has impressive stats like these to back him up, and United will hope that he lives up to expectations. Van der Sar gave little cause for complaint during his stay in Manchester and was the first true solid keeper United had after Peter Schmeichel.
De Gea is United’s third signing of the summer so far, with Blackburn defender Phil Jones and Aston Villa winger Ashley Young already a part of the Red Devils’ ranks for fees of 16 million and 15 million pounds respectively. United seem to be gearing up in earnest for next season and the renewed challenges they will face from Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
