When speaking about Manchester United, one person that comes to mind is David De Gea. The 32-year-old Spanish goalkeeper has been manning the posts for Manchester United and the Spain national team for years, being widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
In his latest stint with United, De Gea won the Castrol MAGNATEC Golden Glove award for having 17 clean sheets in the 2022-2023 season. De Gea was also able to win the EFL Carabao Cup, beating Aston Villa, Burnley, Charlton Athletic, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle United.
However, despite reports circulating that the goalie agreed to a new deal with United, Man U boss Erik Ten Hag might not consider him as the number one for the duration of his new deal. Despite winning the most clean sheets in the Prem this season, Ten Hag said that the keeper was not considered good enough with his feet to play in the Dutch boss' preferred style of football.
Now that Man United has signed Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana as the number one option for the goalie position, David De Gea is bound for an exit at Old Trafford. With the Spaniard more likely to return to his home country and play for La Liga, there are several clubs that may be able to make use of his services.
1. Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine will be competing in the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Europa League, along with another Spanish team in this list. With De Gea's experience in European competition, Villarreal may just find a significant upgrade in the number one spot.
Pepe Reina, Filip Jörgensen, and Gerónimo Rulli manned the posts for the Yellow Submarine last season, but their combined performances are far outweighed by David De Gea. In all competitions last season, these three just secured 17 clean sheets – equal to De Gea's record with Manchester United in the Premier League alone – while conceding 61 goals.
While Villarreal may not be a potential threat yet to Barcelona and Real Madrid in the domestic league, they surely would like to replicate their previous runs in other tourneys. El Submarino Amarillo will certainly make a run similar to their win in the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League. Also, Villarreal went on to progress to the semifinals of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League, clashed with Chelsea in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup, and reached the Round of 16 of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League.
A number-one option in De Gea will certainly upgrade Villarreal's defense, especially since Reina is aging at 40 years old while Jorgensen and Rulli are still enhancing their game as youngsters. In next year's Europa League, Villarreal will have to face Liverpool, West Ham, and Brighton from the Premier League, as well as Italy's Atalanta and Roma and Germany's Freiburg and Leverkusen. With De Gea's familiarity with these teams, Villarreal may be able to make a deep run in this tournament.
2. Real Betis Balompie
Real Betis will have financial issues if they look to make a deal. The fact that Betis will be playing in the Europa League next season may not be where De Gea wants in terms of playing time if he still believes that he is one of the world's best goalkeepers.
However, if De Gea decides to go back to Spain, this will be the perfect club despite all other issues. Real Betis joins Villarreal in the Europa League next season, which he has been familiar with. For his honors, De Gea won the 2009–10 Europa League with Atletico Madrid and in 2016–17 with Manchester United. De Gea also made the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season in the 2015–16 season.
Rui Silva and Claudio Bravo's combined stats can be overcome by De Gea. The two had 49 appearances, where they had 55 conceded goals and 16 clean sheets combined. In addition, De Gea's speed when rushing off his line in one on one situations, which also enables him to function as a sweeper-keeper, will also put Bravo's and Silva's status up in the air.
Aside from the aforementioned teams, Real Betis will also face the likes of Rennes, Toulouse, Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, as well as potential group-stage participants like Ajax, Aberdeen, Union Saint-Gilloise, Slavia Prague, and Olympiacos. Having a veteran goalie against these teams, De Gea will definitely put on a show with his experience and massive improvement this season.
3. CA Osasuna
Osasuna will be headed to the third edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Little Reds finished as 2022-23 Copa del Rey runners-up and 2018–19 champions of Spain's Segunda División. As the Gorritxoak are headed to higher aspirations, someone like De Gea will significantly improve their defensive line.
Sergio Herrera and Aitor Fernández had 45 combined appearances in La Liga and Copa del Rey, in which they made just 12 clean sheets and 55 conceded goals. Although Osasuna edges out United's performance last season in terms of goals allowed (43 to 42), having De Gea in the team will be a massive improvement. Those two only had 11 clean sheets combined in the domestic league, which pushes Osasuna to make a major defensive upgrade.
Osasuna will face the likes of Aston Villa, Juventus, Frankfurt, Lille, and potentially the likes of Lincoln Red Imps, AZ Alkmaar, Dynamo Kyiv, Partizan Belgrade, and Hearts of Midlothian. If Osasuna is eyeing a potential trophy for their club, David De Gea is the man that should stand in the goalposts.