"We want him to stay" - Erik ten Hag backs Manchester United superstar despite horrific error against West Ham

Erik ten Hag has offered a strong show of support to David de Gea despite his error in Manchester United's 1-0 loss against West Ham United on Sunday (May 7).

The Spanish goalkeeper failed to get a strong hand on Said Benrahma's shot in the 27th minute. He dove to his right and looked set to make an easy save, but somehow managed to let the ball hit his hand and find its way into the net.

De Gea, 32, has for long been considered one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League, if not Europe. But his knack for making costly errors in recent months has started to irk fans.

What's more is that the former Atletico Madrid shot-stopper is reportedly in talks to extend his stay at Old Trafford. His current deal, which sees him pocket £350,000 in weekly wages, expires at the end of next season.

After the full-time whistle at the London Stadium, Ten Hag came out and defended De Gea. He said, via the Athletic journalist Laurie Whitwell (h/t Fabrizio Romano on Twitter):

"We want David de Gea to stay here at Manchester United and we want him to extend his contract. We want him to be with us also next season."

De Gea has made four errors leading to a goal across competitions this season, as per Opta. No Premier League player has made more, although Hugo Lloris is joint-top of the list alongside the Manchester United shot-stopper.

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Erik ten Hag backs Manchester United to 'show character' after damaging defeats

Manchester United have recorded back-to-back league defeats for the first time since August.

They have followed up their 1-0 league loss against Brighton & Hove Albion with a defeat against the Magpies by the same scoreline. This has allowed Liverpool to sneak back into the top-four race.

The Reds, courtesy of a six-game winning run, have 62 points from 35 matches. Manchester United and Newcastle United, meanwhile, have 65 and 63 respectively from 34 games. Manchester City and Arsenal have qualified for the UEFA Champions League.

The other two places, nevertheless, are still up for grabs. Asked to give his verdict on the top-four race after his team's loss against the Magpies, Erik ten Hag said, via BBC:

"In this season we had some terrible setbacks and every time we bounced back so once again we show the character and go on."

The Red Devils, who won the EFL Cup in February, also have an FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3 to look forward to.