Manchester United Need David De Gea to Sign a Long-Term Deal

Alan Nixon of The Sun reported on Monday that David De Gea is set to sign a two-year contract extension with Manchester United. 

Initially, the attention-grabbing headline that De Gea was set to remain at United seemed like excellent news. However, if the contract extension really is, as reported, just for a further 24 months, then the long-term future of United's No. 1 remains uncertain.

Of course, there is some nuance to consider. If it truly is an "extension" then it would mean adding 24 months from the end of his current contract. That would keep him at the club until summer 2018.

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In that time United can either look to get a higher fee for him from interested parties or, assuming the club re-establishes its place among football's competitive elite, convince De Gea to spend his career at Old Trafford.

However, if it is 24 months from this summer, as reported, then the situation will be the same as it is now come next summer. Essentially, that would seem to point to a scenario where the club are extending his contract more as a means to guarantee a return if they sell him, rather than the player committing himself to a United future.

From the player's perspective, there are many understandable reasons why he would be reluctant to commit to a lengthy deal keeping him at Old Trafford. Firstly, it is not guaranteed that the club will once again find itself competing for major honours every season.

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The fall from grace since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement has been extreme. While there are plenty of positive things to take out of this season, it has still been one packed with disappointment, and the possibility remains of failure to get a top-four place.

The club's support and financial muscle, and their current manager's track record, means that success remains likely to follow, but it is not a foregone conclusion.

Even if Louis van Gaal does win silverware with the club, he is only contracted to remain until 2017. What happens next remains unknown, and with that comes even more uncertainty.

On top of all this, there is the fact that Madrid is De Gea's hometown, and his reported suitors, Real Madrid (as mentioned in the Sun article), are obviously a huge draw for players.

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In this situation, it would appear the player is holding all the cards. As Van Gaal said in a press conference on April 24: "I am not the boss. I want him to stay, but I've explained that the player is the boss—he can say yes or no."

Signing him to a short-term deal is better than letting him go. If United manage to challenge seriously for the title again next season, they may be in a stronger position to renegotiate then. However, what is really needed is an end to the medium-term uncertainty around the goalkeeper position.

The Red Devils have been in a state of flux for two seasons. The backroom staff have changed twice, and there have been plenty of comings and goings in the playing staff.

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De Gea has been a constant, and the 24-year-old has, for the most part, continually improved throughout that time. Ferguson's difficulty in replacing Peter Schmeichel is an object lesson on the importance of an excellent goalkeeper to an excellent team.

United as a whole are a work in progress. De Gea—while still displaying an occasional rough edge—is close enough to being the finished article that he could easily be their No. 1 for a decade. However, that currently seems unlikely.

Two years is better than nothing, but for the moment, it feels like a delay to the inevitable.