By SBI SOCCER
The David De Gea drama is over for now.
The 24-year-old Spanish goalkeeper finalized a new four-year contract with Manchester United Friday and is likely to start in his first English Premier League match against Liverpool Saturday.
“I am delighted to be starting this new chapter in my United career,” De Gea said of the extension. “I have always enjoyed playing with these great players in front of our fantastic fans. Manchester United is a special club and Old Trafford is an ideal place for me to continue to develop my career. I’m looking forward to putting a difficult summer behind me and concentrating on working hard to improve and help my teammates to be successful.”
De Gea was close to securing a move away from Old Trafford during the summer transfer window, but late paperwork kept him from joining Spanish giant Real Madrid.
Madrid club president Florentino Perez confirmed that the team was not going to pursue De Gea during the January window, meaning the netminder would have to finish his contract, which is set to expire June 2016, out before having talks with Madrid again.
However, Manchester United is now set to pay De Gea $308,000 (£200,000) per week, according to the Mirror.
Here are some more news and notes this Friday:
LIONEL MESSI HAS SECOND CHILD, IS AVAILABLE FOR ATLETICO MADRID MATCH
Lionel Messi may not be 100 percent fit in one of the biggest La Liga games of the season Saturday, but he received some good news Friday.
After returning to Barcelona from national team duty Thursday, Messi missed training Friday morning because his partner, Antonella Roccuzzo, was expecting another child.
Messi and Roccuzzo welcomed their second child, reportedly named Benjamin, into the world early this morning. Thiago, the couple’s first child, was born in 2012.
Barcelona takes on Atletico Madrid Saturday evening, and despite having only one training session with his club since his return from the Argentine national team, Messi is on Barcelona’s 18-man roster.
LOUIS VAN GAAL SAYS MANCHESTER UNITED WON’T WIN EPL IN 2015
After news that head coach Louis Van Gaal had reportedly received criticism from his own players, the Manchester United manager offered some criticism of his own Thursday.
In a sit-down discussion with BBC, Louis Van Gaal addressed questions pertaining to the club’s current standing and future goals.
When questioned about the team’s chances of winning the EPL title this season, Van Gaal was not too optimistic.
“No, maybe third or second place is realistic, but I expect us to go for it next season,” Van Gaal said when asked if Manchester United would win the EPL title in 2015.
He also addressed the club’s latest loss to Swansea City and assured fans that the team would find a way to grab all three points Saturday.
“I am sorry, the defeat, was my fault,” Van Gaal said. “Don’t worry, we will win on Saturday (against Liverpool).”
QUICK KICKS
Italian club Fiorentina has formally complained to FIFA about Mohamed Salah’s loan from Chelsea to Roma. (REPORT)
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss Saturday’s game against Everton, and head coach Jose Mourinho confirmed he needs knee surgery. (REPORT)
Brazilian midfielder Oscar will sit out of Chelsea’s game against Everton, but he may return next Wednesday. (REPORT)
Karim Benzema said he was surprised Angel Di Maria struggled at Manchester United, but he is sure he will do well for Paris Saint-Germain. (REPORT)
Re: LVG. I mean, that’s only fair. Who can expect a manager in his second season to win the premier league with the highest paid team in the EPL? I mean, fans should be happy if they aren’t relegated!
Re: Messi’s son. Let me be the first to say….
CAP HIM NOW!!!!
DeGea is an embarrassment to the game….too pouty to play one week, then claims he loves the place the next when they splash him with cash. Fully expect him to transfer to Madrid after this season anyway.
You have no clue what you are talking about! However, go ahead and make sweeping statements.
For all you know LVG sat him because he might have said that he made up his mind that he was going to Madrid. They only reason he is not there is because Man Utd took to long to start the process and they or Madrid screwed up. The only reason he is signing the contract is because Florentino Perez said that they would not be signing him in January and they would not take him on a free in May (meaning the were scratching Man Utd’s back and make sure they get something since they screwed up).
De Gea has not said anything in public to make me think that he was pouting. ..however, go ahead and make proclamations.