David De Gea has decided enough is enough, returning from his holiday early to get stuck into pre-season training as he aims to put his career back on track.
The Spaniard’s stock has taken a dramatic dive in the last 12 months, losing his spot between the sticks to Dean Henderson at Old Trafford after a miserable, mistake-ridden 2020-21 season.
De Gea couldn’t even get off the bench at Euro 2020, with Luis Enrique preferring Unai Simon as Spain reached the semi-finals this summer.
The 30-year-old was only expected back in the north-west of England in early August but is already back at Carrington after just two weeks of holiday.
‘David wants to be back and sharp. He could have taken it easy for three weeks but he also knows Hendo is equally determined to prove himself to Ole,’ an insider at United told the Sun.
Henderson had to watch from the sofa as England stormed to the Euros final this summer, having suffered a hip injury just days before the tournament.
The 24-year-old is already back in training ahead of the new season – likely the key factor in De Gea’s decision to forgo a few more weeks of holiday.
De Gea will be keen to impress Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and nail-down the starting spot for the opening game against Leeds United.
The Spaniard was a long way off his best last season, which culminated in a nightmare penalty shoot-out in the Europa League final.
He failed to stop a single one of Villarreal’s 11 spot-kicks before missing his own, handing the trophy to the La Liga side.
De Gea will be keen to play a key role this season with United strengthening for a title challenge. They’ve signed Jadon Sancho and are closing-in on Raphael Varane, two men that could be the missing pieces of the puzzle.
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