Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has been instructed to make the “hardest” managerial decision Pep Guardiola has ever faced.
For more than ten years, David De Gea has been a fixture in the United goal, but his recent performances have prompted speculation about his long-term future with the team.
Said Benrahma scored the game’s lone goal on Sunday after De Gea made a terrible mistake, costing United a costly 1-0 loss to West Ham.
In fact, the 32-year-old tied Hugo Lloris for the most goals scored by an error that resulted in a goal in the Premier League.
Although De Gea and United are negotiating a new contract with a lower base salary and higher performance-related bonuses, many feel that the goalkeeper’s most recent string of errors may have been one too many for him.
Tossing out De Gea: Ten Hag?
De Gea is almost ready to sign a new contract with United, but according to the Times, no guarantees have been made that he will start as the No. 1 custodian for the club the following season.
The newspaper reports that Dean Henderson, who is presently on loan at Nottingham Forest, and the club are going to speak.
Additionally, players who are at ease with the ball in their hands like André Onana of Inter Milan, Diogo Costa of Porto, and David Raya of Brentford have all been linked to United in recent weeks.
Ten Hag’s decision to dismiss De Gea of his No. 1 duties would be comparable to Guardiola’s brutal firing of Joe Hart in 2016.
The hardest choice of Guardiola’s career, he acknowledged, was getting rid of Hart at City. When speaking to the City stalwart at the time, the Spaniard explained that having a custodian who could create plays from the back was an essential component of his football philosophy.
With its facilities, our club has contributed to the creation of something unique, but the players’ calibre over the past ten years has also been important, and Joe has without a doubt been a part of it. I found it difficult to make the choice because of this. Both in private and in public, I always wished him the best.
Despite initially bringing in Claudio Bravo to replace Hart, who made several costly mistakes that left City’s defence in disarray, Ederson eventually arrived from Porto, and City haven’t looked back since.