David de Gea to miss Friday’s clash against Villa: LVG

United fans hoping to see David de Gea back in between United’s sticks have been dealt a heavy blow as manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed that the Spaniard will be missing Manchester United’s clash against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Friday evening.

De Gea was left out of the Manchester United squad completely for the 1-0 opening day win over Tottenham at Old Trafford last Saturday.

The Spaniard’s replacement was Sergio Romero, who made some key saves late in the match after visibly being uncomfortable with the ball at his feet whenever he received a back pass during the first half. He will, however, deputize at Villa Park tomorrow night.

The Argentine international had played under Van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar and has plenty of experience as the number one goalkeeper for Argentina’s national team.

With the transfer window still open, LVG has cited “distractions from other clubs and transfer activities” as the reason for leaving his No. 1 goalkeeper out of the squad for a second consecutive week, as according to him, David de Gea is unsettled and not in the right frame of mind to start a competitive match for Manchester United because of interest from “other clubs”.

Of late, the rumours linking De Gea with a move to Real Madrid have veered towards the Spanish keeper staying at Old Trafford for the final season of his contract.

The fact that he has been left out of the squad to face Villa suggests Real Madrid still have a chance of signing the goalkeeper and that this saga will certainly run until the end of the summer transfer window. The Manchester club’s Champions League play-off match vs Brugge may very well decide David de Gea’s future at the club. Till then, we can only wait as the saga unfolds.