David De Gea has been included in Manchester United’s Champions League squad which signifies that they are confident of keeping the goalkeeper amidst interest from Real Madrid. But the omission of Victor Valdes clears the situation for the other Spanish goalkeeper in the English side’s squad.
The future of David de Gea has been subject to much speculation, with the player in his final year of contract and wanting to move to Real Madrid as per reports.
The speculation had led manager Louis van Gaal to drop De Gea from the opening match citing the reason that the goalkeeper might have been distracted by the saga.
However, De Gea’s inclusion for the two-legged tie against Club Brugge clearly indicate that Louis Van Gaal is hoping to play the Spaniard.
Valdes not included in the squad .
The other Spanish goalkeeper in Van Gaal’s squad, Victor Valdes, is also expected to leave the club. Van Gaal had decided not to take the former FC Barcelona man on pre-season tour to the United States having declared he would be sold for refusing to play for the club’s reserves last season.
Van Gaal had then opted not to give the 33-year-old a squad number and reiterated that he has no place in his plans.
Van Gaal’s squad includes three other goalkeepers — Sergio Romero, who started against Tottenham, Sam Johnstone and Anders Lindegaard.
There are no surprises in the squad, which includes all of Van Gaal’s summer signings and injured defender Phil Jones, who is unlikely to be fit for either game against Brugge.
Manchester United can, still, add one more player to their squad by 11 a.m. BST on Monday, giving them the option of including a new signing, should it be made.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Anders Lindegaard, Sergio Romero, Sam Johnstone
Defenders: Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw, Paddy McNair, Matteo Darmian, Tyler Blackett
Midfielders: Adnan Januzaj, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira
Forwards: Memphis Depay, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, James Wilson