Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s David de Gea prediction could come back to haunt Manchester United

David de Gea has been without a club for six months and has seemingly been willing to bide his time. The goalkeeper, who turned 33 last month, has not panicked about finding new employment since his summer release from Manchester United.

He has returned to Manchester on occasion as he plots his next move. Links Real Betis in Spain have cropped up in the months since his Old Trafford exit but Nick Pope’s five-month lay-off has maybe opened a door for De Gea in the Premier League.

He kept a clean sheet against Newcastle in United’s League Cup final triumph in February and was also in goal during the subsequent 2-0 league defeat at St James’ Park. Reports suggest Eddie Howe wishes to make that house his home and the player is said to be interested.

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With Pope out, it leaves former United loanee Martin Dubravka and Loris Karius to choose from. With the Magpies vying for a Champions League knockout spot and pushing for a top four spot, Howe may look to bring in more experience.

De Gea is an open goal in many ways. A Premier League title winner, the Spaniard has chalked up 55 Champions League games across his career and would cost nothing to bring in.

He was willing to lower his wages when negotiating a failed renewal at United so salary demands may be less of an issue too. After all, he is still out of work. De Gea had a mixed final few years at United. He had a rocky 2020/21 season and briefly lost his place to Dean Henderson before regaining it.

He was then one of only a few players to come out of the dismal 2021/22 campaign with any credit before a series of errors under Erik ten