David de Gea believes he is the perfect candidate to become the new Manchester United captain next season as he closes in on a new deal at the Theatre of Dreams.
The club are looking for a new skipper after the departure of Antonio Valencia to Ecuadorian Serie A side LDU Quito.
Speaking at a fan event in Singapore on Sunday night, de Gea believes he can be the perfect captain due to his experience.
He said: “I’ve been captain for some games. Of course, it is amazing to be captain of a club like Manchester United and defend this badge.”
“It’s amazing, so of course I’ll be really, really happy to captain. It’s my ninth season, I feel like one of the most experienced players.”
“I need to show that on the pitch and try to help the young guys know what Manchester United means and that’s important.” (Source: Goal)
The starting eleven choices for next season could be in de Gea’s favour. The purchase of Aaron Wan-Bissaka is likely to see Ashley Young’s chances at right-back become limited considering the money involved, after all. Furthermore, with Paul Pogba yet to sort out his future, with constant links to Real Madrid and Juventus, there’s no certainty he’ll be at the club to become the new club captain.
As he mentioned too, de Gea is currently Manchester United’s joint second-longest serving player, along with Phil Jones.
Indeed, the Spaniard is fairly decorated at Old Trafford, having won four trophies at the club, with just the Champions League missing from his trophy cabinet right now.
The 28-year-old can be forgiven for thinking he is the perfect candidate for captaincy, with a number of factors in his favour.
When it comes to performances, no one can top the shot-stopper over the last six seasons at Manchester United. Four of the last six Players’ Player of the Year Awards have been won by the custodian, highlighting how good even his peers think the Spaniard is. Indeed, over the last two seasons, two performances have highlighted de Gea’s importance to Manchester United, the 3-1 victory away at Arsenal, and the 1-0 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur. On both occasions, de Gea won the man of the match award.
The performances highlighted how de Gea carried an ailing side over the line in key games, as he made 11 saves versus Tottenham and 14, a joint-league high, versus Arsenal.
From his experiences to his performances between the sticks, you’ll struggle to find a more fitting candidate to become the Manchester United captain than de Gea.
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