Jose Mourinho Issues Hands-off Warning to Real Madrid over David De Gea

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has told Real Madrid they should consider other goalkeeping targets than David De Gea. 

Per the Mirror's Alex Smith, he said: "I think he will stay. I don't know what Real Madrid's intentions are, but if I were them, I would think of another player."

Los Blancos have been long-term admirers of the Spaniard and are still believed to be keen on signing him, while it may be something of a worry for United that De Gea is yet to sign a new contract with the club despite having less than 18 months remaining on his deal.

The 27-year-old has been voted United's best player for three years running, and he's enjoyed yet another sensational campaign.

He was praised by football writers Jonas Giaever and Liam Canning after he made a stunning stop to deny Sevilla's Luis Muriel in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie:

The Spanish side implored him not to be so good with a tongue-in-cheek post on Twitter ahead of Tuesday's second leg:

De Gea's reactions are second to none, which, coupled with his remarkable agility, allows him to pull off some incredible saves that many of his peers could only dream of.

The number of expected goals he has prevented demonstrates as much. Sports blogger Adam Joseph provided a statistical comparison between the 'keeper and his Premier League rivals:

"

David De Gea is so good it's scary. pic.twitter.com/Zc2xAaa33r

— Adam Joseph (@AdamJosephSport) March 12, 2018"

A look at the other numbers also illustrates how much United rely on him compared with the likes of Ederson at Manchester City or Hugo Lloris at Tottenham Hotspur, so his loss would be a devastating blow to the Red Devils.

If United are able to secure his future with another contract, it would hardly be surprising if they would expect suitors to pay nine-figure sums for him in today's market, but it's vital they do so or they risk losing him for far less than he's worth.