Next David de Gea move after Man Utd exit crumbles as La Liga coach votes for inexperienced option
Reports that David de Gea could join Real Betis after his departure from Manchester United in the summer have been cast aside by Manuel Pellegrini.
The former Manchester City manager is now in charge of Betis, who had been tipped to offer a lifeline to De Gea – still a free agent – due to injuries to Rui Silva and Claudio Bravo.
It was claimed that ex-Atletico Madrid shot-stopper De Gea would be excited by the prospect of resurrecting his career back in La Liga. However, it now appears the link was a non-starter.
After Betis’ 1-1 draw with cross-city rivals Sevilla on Sunday, Pellegrini pledged his faith in the man he chose to start in that game: Fran Vieites.
The 24-year-old was making just his second first-team appearance for Betis and it was his first start in La Liga, but he seemingly did enough to convince Pellegrini that they do not need De Gea.
Asked about the idea of signing De Gea, Pellegrini told reporters: “If you ask me I would say I don’t think so.
“Vieites is a goalkeeper who has many abilities, he didn’t have the slightest responsibility for the goal, he was calm and for me it was a very good performance of his given how difficult it is to practically debut in professional football with everything that the outside environment entails.”
De Gea still stuck in free agency
Consequently, De Gea will still be on the lookout for a way in which he can continue his career. Having recently turned 33, he will want to prove that he still has plenty to offer.
His Man Utd career ended with a Premier League Golden Glove award, but plenty of questions about whether he was the right man to remain their number one.
Erik ten Hag ultimately decided not and prompted Man Utd to sign his former Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter.
De Gea left Man Utd after a total of 545 appearances, spread across 12 seasons in which he was mainly a regular starter at Old Trafford.
The verdict on Onana since he assumed those same responsibilities has been mixed, but he retains Ten Hag’s faith for the long term.
The 27-year-old Cameroon international has made 18 appearances for Man Utd so far, conceding 30 goals but keeping six clean sheets.
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