Manchester United weighing up key David de Gea decision as Jordan Pickford emerges as potential replacement target

David de Gea and Manchester United has been a story that has almost every part of an epic movie tied into it.

From the young player who had a rough start to the international superstar he became c.2015, David de Gea has had a very mixed reception at Manchester United since 2018.

After a poor 2018 World Cup campaign, De Gea went back to Manchester United and engaged in a battle with Dean Henderson for the No.1 spot at Old Trafford, and has seemingly emerged victorious after Dean Henderson moved on loan to Nottingham Forest earlier this summer.

De Gea's time in the last few seasons has seen some incredible saves mixed in with some tragic errors, with many criticising his lack of ability to play with the ball at his feet in a consistent manner.

United conceded 56 goals last season, their highest tally in any single campaign, and although this season goals conceded have been massively reduced due to a change in back four, there have still been some errors under Erik ten Hag which are often highlighted.

The Spaniard's wages at Manchester United are rumoured to be around £350-375 thousand a week, making him one of the club's top earners of all time, and with his contract expiring this summer, Manchester United have a big decision to make.

According to Mike McGrath of the Telegraph, the club are weighing up whether or not to trigger the one year extension in the player's current deal.

With the club's annual player wage bill reaching a Premier League record of £384 million for last season, the club will no doubt be looking to cut this down over the next few years.

There have been many complaints over the last few seasons with regards to United's rather obscene contracts, with many fans citing huge contracts to players such as David de Gea, Alexis Sanchez and Luke Shaw being handed out too easily.

Complaints have generally circulated at how this then makes it a lot harder to move players on when necessary as other clubs do not want to match these wages, however it has also been said that these contracts also make player complacent.

With time running out on the David de Gea decision, the report also suggests that Jordan Pickford has multiple clubs keeping an eye on his current contract, which is set to expire in 2024.

David de Gea. (Man Utd)

Pickford has been a mainstay as England's No.1 for many years, and could be seen as a replacement for David de Gea under Erik ten Hag, should the club decide not to renew the Spaniard's deal for either the short or long term future.

Pickford's on the ball ability will likely be favoured by the Dutch manager, who likes to control possession across the field.

As mentioned above, Manchester United's defensive record has improved a lot in the last month.

With the introduction of Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia as the front four ahead of De Gea, the club have only conceded two goals in the matches in which these five have started.

It remains to be seen what the club will decide to do with De Gea and his contract situation, but with only nine months left on his current deal, time is starting to run out.