Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has insisted he wants to keep David De Gea and urged the Spaniard to sign a new deal at the club following his calamitous error against West Ham United. De Gea failed to keep out a tame Said Benrahma effort midway through the first half and United failed to mount a comeback against the Hammers. The defeat leaves United looking over their shoulder at rivals Liverpool, who are one point behind having played a game more.
De Gea is out of contract at the end of the season and despite leading the race for the golden glove, the Spaniard’s suitability to Ten Hag’s methods have been called into question repeatedly this season. However, despite another mistake, Ten Hag insists De Gea has performed well this season and he wants him to sign a new deal at the club. ‘He has the most clean sheets in the Premier League. We would not be in this position without him,’Ten Hag said. ‘No concerns. It happens. As a team you have to deal with it, you have to show character and resilience and bounce back. We want him to stay and we want him to extend his contract.’
United face Wolves at Old Trafford next week before a trip to Bournemouth. They take on Chelsea and Fulham at home in their final two fixtures. Ten Hag says the club need to put the defeat in east London behind them and win at least three of their next four fixtures to finish in the top four. ‘Nothing changes,’ said Ten Hag. ‘We could have made it easier with a win, but we need three wins from four games so everything is in our hands. We have to believe. It’s not about Liverpool, it’s about us. Look at the table. We have everything in our hands. If we bring our performance, our standards, we will win games. We don’t have to look to others. We have to look to ourselves, find a way to win, to get back to our levels.’