Not once, but twice since Jose Mourinho was appointed, the normally understated Spanish superstar David de Gea has publicly aired his satisfaction at the development.
The Manchester United stopper who has to now be the best keeper in the world – Manuel Neuer is an impressive hunk of meat and muscle but De Gea adds cat-like agility and an elegance that the German just can’t match – spoke soon after Mourinho’s appointment to signal his delight.
And now, in the run up to EURO 2016 De Gea has reasserted the point with even more gusto. He is quoted in The Daily Mail as saying:
‘I think United needed a coach like him – a winning coach with personality,’
‘United’s decision to sign Mourinho is the right move.’
‘I arrived at United to win titles; it’s true that in the past two years we haven’t been at the level that this club deserves, but we hope that with the coaching change, we can return United to the top,’
This could appear to some to be a thinly veiled barb at the previous regime and De Gea was widely reported to have been at odds with Louis van Gaal on several occasions over the last two years.
Regardless of their history the important thing for Manchester United is that De Gea has sent his clearest signal yet that he will stay at the club for, at very least, another season to see how things go under the new, visionary leadership of Jose Mourinho.
As an afterthought, there is a school of thought which suggests that Iker Casillas may get the nod ahead of David de Gea in goal for Spain at EURO 2016. We would have to seriously question the salary and sanity of Spain heard coach Vincente Del Bosque should that come strange event to pass.