Manchester United will consider two things before triggering David de Gea’s contract extension

David de Gea, Phil Jones and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only three players in the current Manchester United squad to know what it feels like to lift a Premier League title.

The trio could all be leaving United by the summer as Erik ten Hag continues his rebuild project. Jones is surplus to requirements while Ronaldo’s deal expires in June.

But United have an option to trigger a 12-month extension in De Gea’s contract. The goalkeeper has now racked up 500 appearances for the Reds and is the longest-serving first teamer at the club.

READ MORE: David de Gea explains what has changed under Erik ten Hag

The last 11 years have been far from a smooth ride for the shot stopper. United have not been able to clasp hands on the league since 2013 and their last trophy - the Europa League - came some five years ago.

He briefly lost his place in the team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 2020/21 season. The Spaniard has since reclaimed his place back but is not in the frame to be heading to Qatar to represent his country at the World Cup.

Some fans are disgruntled over his abilities and United themselves are yet to trigger the 31-year-old’s contract option. This decision will ultimately rest on two factors.

A long-term replacement must be assured before they let De Gea go. Jan Oblak is available on a free this summer if he doesn’t sign on with Atletico Madrid but by turning 30 in January, he’s hardly the future.

World class goalkeepers are traditionally hard to come by, and subsequently purchase when they do. It’s a scouting mission that will take more than a few months to sort. If United cannot secure a new shot-stopper by early summer then they may have no option but to trigger the extension - or offer him a new contract.

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