sport news CHRIS WHEELER: David De Gea has to show Erik ten Hag that he is a keeper trends now CHRIS WHEELER: David De Gea has to show Erik ten Hag that he is a keeper... as the Spaniard edges closer to beating Alex Stepney's record of 539 appearances as a Manchester United goalkeeper with his contract expiring this summer Manchester United sealed a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Premier League Fred and Bruno Fernandes got themselves on the scoresheet at Old Trafford Goalkeeper David De Gea has expressed his desire to see out his career at United His contract is due to expire in the summer, despite playing 501 times for United De Gea could beat Alex Stepney's record of 539 appearances as a goalkeeper By Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail Published: 22:31 BST, 19 October 2022 | Updated: 22:39 BST, 19 October 2022 Viewcomments David De Gea was speaking to us in a hotel room on the 11th floor of the Ritz-Carlton in Perth in July when he expressed a desire to see out his career at Manchester United. ‘I would be really happy to be here for as long as they want,’ said De Gea on United’s tour of Australia. ‘I didn't talk with anyone yet, but I want to be here for more years.’ Trouble is, even the best players rarely get to write their own scripts. Just ask Cristiano Ronaldo. Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea kept his third clean sheet of the campaign Even the players, including Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured) rarely get to write their own scripts The Portuguese superstar has scored more Premier League goals against Tottenham than any other opponent – including a hat-trick in this fixture last season – but it only got him a place on the bench at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. In the build-up to the game, Erik ten Hag had been asked about the possibility of United granting De Gea his wish in the wake of the Spanish goalkeeper making his 500th appearance for the club in Sunday’s goalless draw with Newcastle. Given that he is the first name on the team sheet and has been ever-present in all 14 games under Ten Hag this season, there’s every chance De Gea will beat Alex Stepney’s record for a United keeper of 539 appearances before his £375,000-a-week contract runs out in the summer. De Gea has been an ever-present in all 14 games under Erik ten Hag so far this campaign Even that isn’t enough to guarantee him a new deal judging by Ten Hag’s lukewarm response. ‘We didn’t make a decision on him, but what I can say is that I’m really happy with David de Gea as a keeper,’ said the Dutchman. ‘First we go to the winter and then we will talk about how we deal with these situations.’ Sunday’s epic clash between Liverpool and Manchester City was a reminder that the two best teams in the league in recent years also have the best goalkeepers, and that is the level to which United must aspire. De Gea will not be given a contract based on sentiment, although United may choose to activate a 12-month extension first. In the meantime, all he can do is keep the ball out of his net and the 31-year-old recorded a third clean sheet at Old Trafford in the space of a week against Spurs to move within nine of Peter Schmeichel’s club record. It was the 44th minute before De Gea was truly tested, parrying Harry Kane’s shot at his near post on a night when opposite number Hugo Lloris was by far the busier. Bruno Fernandes notched United's second goal of the match as they beat Tottenham 2-0 Having spilled a shot from Antony inches wides of the goal where Roy Carroll infamously got away with clawing a Pedro Mendes effort from a couple of yards over his own line in 2005, Lloris almost single-handedly kept United at bay before he was finally beaten by a big deflection off Ben Davies early in the second half. De Gea, meanwhile, made another crucial block from Kane moments before Bruno Fernandes scored United’s second. The linesman belatedly raised a flag so we’ll never know, but De Ge wasn’t aware of it at the time. For now, he is an integral part of this United team. Only time will tell if that remains the case. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility