Manchester United Could Be Fighting Losing Battle to Keep Hold of David De Gea

Manchester United have been here before. A skinny kid turns up at Old Trafford from the Iberian Peninsula, and a few years later he's one of the best in the world in his position.

Then, predictably, Real Madrid come calling, and United are left to battle one of the biggest clubs in Europe to keep one of their stars.

In the summer of 2009, they lost. And Cristiano Ronaldo finally departed for the Bernabeu for £80 million. 

Sir Alex Ferguson did what he could to get the best deal. He kept Ronaldo for a extra year when it looked like the Portuguese forward might leave 12 months earlier. When he did go, Ferguson negotiated a world-record fee. 

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He couldn't keep Ronaldo from realising a boyhood dream and signing for Real Madrid. In the end, he just had to make the best of it.

Fast-forward five years, and the situation is in danger of repeating itself. David de Gea had a slow start at United after signing from Atletico Madrid three years ago. 

He wasn't ready for the physicality of the Premier League. It was clear, even then, he was a good shot-stopper. But that's the minimum requirement for a top-class goalkeeper. 

It's his command of his area—and his defenders—that has improved so much since he first arrived. On Sunday, he was deemed good enough to start for Spain in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Luxembourg in place of World Cup winner Iker Casillas.

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His new status will not have gone unnoticed in the Spanish capital, where Real Madrid have made a habit, often at United's expense, of collecting the best players in the world. De Gea is edging into that elite group. 

It is likely that one day de Gea will want to return to Spain. Like Ronaldo, he's got no significant ties to Manchester, and there's always the possibility that, sooner or later, the pull of home will become too strong to ignore.

Having grown up at Atletico, he might not fancy crossing the Madrid divide and heading to Real. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, only 22, might be Barcelona's goalkeeper for the next 10 years. But maybe not.

Players have all the power, and if de Gea wants to return to Spain, there's little United can do about it. There was little they could do when Ronaldo wanted to move to Real Madrid.

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But they can protect themselves from losing de Gea on the cheap. He's got two years left on the contract he signed when he first arrived. But it's about time Ed Woodward thought about offering him a new one. He deserves it for the form he's shown over the last two seasons.

United and Woodward might not be able to keep de Gea away from Real Madrid or Barcelona. But, if it does happen, they can make sure they're in a position to make the best of it.

They will hope it never happens, that de Gea is still United's No.1 in 10 years' time. 

A new contract and a pay rise would be just reward for de Gea's progression and a nod to his new status as one of the best in the world.