Manchester United superstar left 'surprised' as he receives retirement wishes from FA chief despite not calling time on international career: Reports

Journalist Jose Alvarez has told El Chiringuito that Manchester United superstar David De Gea was surprisingly sent a retirement message from the Spanish FA.

He said (via Sport Witness):

“De Gea has been a bit of a strange subject, Suddenly he disappeared from the call ups a few months ago and Luis Enrique did call David to tell him he was not going to count on him. He told him that it was a technical decision. Obviously, David asked him what the reason was, but he was not given any further explanation.

"A few days later David receives a message from Rubiales, president of the Federation, who says ‘David I am glad that you have finally made the decision you have been thinking about. I have already been told that you are leaving the national team.'"

The journalist claimed that De Gea was surprised by the message and replied:

“To this David replies ‘Sorry? There is no renunciation of anything, who has told you that I renounce anything? The coach has told me that he is not going to count on me, but I have never renounced the national team, nor do I intend to do so, that is if I am called up’. He was a bit surprised by the communication between Luis Enrique and Rubiales and the message that arrived from Rubiales afterwards."

Alvarez further said:

“The last year and a half De Gea has been very good, being a protagonist for Manchester United in almost every game and he was seen as being a part of the three in the national team. I do not say he should be a starter, but he believed he could contribute apart from experience.

"He was a bit surprised that Rubiales sent him the message saying that he was going to resign from the national team or that he had made the decision after thinking about it, never mind congratulations for taking the decision."

De Gea has made 45 appearances for Spain since making his debut in June 2014. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for a number of years before falling down the pecking order when Luis Enrique took over in 2019. The former Atletico Madrid custodian has kept 21 clean sheets for La Roja.

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When did Manchester United superstar David De Gea last play for Spain?

Manchester United superstar David De Gea

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea last played for La Roja in a 1-0 loss against Ukraine in October 2020. He was last named in the squad during the World Cup qualifiers in November 2021.

Since then, he has been out of the Spanish national team. Manager Luis Enrique has selected a trio of Unai Simon, Robert Sanchez, and David Raya for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.