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David De Gea 'Wants to Stay' at Manchester United, Says Jose Mourinho
November 27, 2018
Jose Mourinho has said that David De Gea "wants to stay" at Manchester United amid ongoing reports he may leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The Spanish goalkeeper made yet another key intervention as United beat Young Boys 1-0 at the death on Tuesday to book their spot in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking after the victory, Mourinho labelled De Gea as the best in the world and said he is hopeful that he will soon commit his future to United, per Simon Peach of the Evening Standard:
"He is a world-class player. He is the best goalkeeper in the world and, if our ambitions are to be a big club, to be a winning club, you need the best goalkeeper in the world—and you need also some other players the best in the world.
"In this case, we have the best goalkeeper in the world and I know that he wants to stay. I know that his agent is happy to do what the player wants and I also know that the board wants him to stay and they're working on that, so hopefully sooner or later they arrive into good conclusions."
De Gea reacted with remarkable speed and agility to a deflected Ulisses Garcia effort in the second half against Young Boys to keep the score at 0-0 on Tuesday at Old Trafford:
It meant Marouane Fellaini's stoppage-time goal was enough for United to pick up all three points and earn themselves a knockout spot with a group-stage game to spare.
De Gea saves United points with remarkable consistency and has been the club's most important player in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
It is no surprise then that recent a recent report from Joe Bernstein in the Mail on Sunday linking the 28-year-old with a move to Paris Saint-Germain has caused major concern among United supporters.
The Red Devils are struggling enough as it is under Mourinho. De Gea's departure would be a huge blow.
United need to get him signed to a new contract soon, and the Portuguese manager's latest comments indicate the two parties are not far from an agreement.