Manchester United vs. Tottenham: Louis van Gaal Rules Out David De Gea and More

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has decided Real Madrid target David De Gea will not start against Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's Premier League opener, throwing the Spaniard's future into further doubt.

United boss Van Gaal faced the media on Friday to answer questions about the new campaign, but talk of De Gea being dropped for the Spurs fixture took the spotlight, as confirmed by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

The Mirror cited Spanish newspaper AS this week, reporting that Real Madrid have backed off in their pursuit of the Spain No. 1, but his place at Old Trafford still appears to be uncertain.

Gill Clark of Goal.com quoted Van Gaal, who insisted his goalkeeper "is more than only a player," opting to give his star stopper a rest in order to recover mentally. He said:

"De Gea shall not play, so I don't have any concerns. You know that we have problems with De Gea. The Dutch journalists can confirm that I think a human being is more than only a player and he cannot manage that."

Luckhurst added that Sam Johnstone, not summer signing Sergio Romero, could start on Saturday:

There was more positive news to be had, however, as Van Gaal announced the team have no injuries ahead of the new campaign, starkly contrasting their beginning to the 2014-15 season:

That doesn't equate to a fully fit squad, however, as summer signing Bastian Schweinsteiger is still "building," while Marcos Rojo was late for pre-season after finishing as a runner-up with Argentina in the 2015 Copa America:

The decision to drop De Gea hasn't gone down as a logical one with some, with Alex Shaw of ESPN FC criticising the call and questioning Daley Blind as an option in central defence:

On the other hand, Nooruddean Choudry of JOE.co.uk jests Van Gaal may be justified in his thinking:

A slew of injuries at the beginning of last term impeded United from mustering any genuine threat on the Premier League title, but the club may hope for a brighter start this time around.

Van Gaal went on to say that with a season of Premier League experience under his belt, he's far more hopeful about this new campaign at Old Trafford:

Along with Schweinsteiger and Rojo, Marouane Fellaini will also be unavailable, having been sent off during the 0-0 stalemate against Hull City in May, according to ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery:

United took Friday's press conference as an opportunity to officially announce Ashley Young's new three-year extension at Old Trafford, tying him to the club until 2018.

Both player and manager alike were pleased with the deal, with Van Gaal highlighting the England international as a "great dressing-room presence:"

It's possible the decision to drop De Gea has more to do with the player's mental state than any sort of punishment, with a year's worth of speculation undoubtedly difficult to ignore.

Saturday's showdown with Spurs will show whether Van Gaal is justified in his selection as Manchester United seek to start their season with a spring in their step.