De Gea to sit out matches till end of August Louis van Gaal

De Gea to sit out matches till end of August  Louis van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal confirmed on Thursday that goalkeeper David De Gea will not play for the club until after the end of the summer transfer window at the end of August.

De Gea missed last week’s opening victory over Tottenham Hotspur and was forced to watch from the stands, after van Gaal claimed the Spaniard wasn’t in the right state of mind to play.

Since the end of last season, Gea has been targeted by Real Madrid as the replacement for long-serving Iker Casillas who has joined Porto after 16 years of service at the Bernabeu.

Louis van Gaal said De Gea wouldn’t be in the squad for Friday’s visit to Aston Villa.

“It is the same situation (as last week),” confirmed Van Gaal.

Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who moved to Old Trafford from Sampdoria, looks set to continue in goal following on from his debut against Tottenham.

While Romero played well, it failed to deflect attention away from the ongoing De Gea saga that threatens to overshadow United’s early-season progress.

Another player who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, and who joined De Gea in the stands last weekend, is Belgian youngster Adnan Januzaj.

After breaking into the first team two years ago under previous manager David Moyes, great things were expected of the young forward, but since then he has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot under Louis van Gaal.

However, Van Gaal said the 20-year-old is working hard in training and is not for sale.

“He is doing his utmost best, all the players are doing that. So, I don’t have any complaint,” said the Dutchman.

“(He) is still not for sale.”

Javier Hernandez

One player who looks to be firmly back in Van Gaal’s plans is Mexican hitman Javier Hernandez.

Hernandez’s future at Old Trafford looked bleak last season as he was loaned-out to Real Madrid.

However, after a relatively impressive season at the Bernabeu, and the departures of former United strikers Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao, Van Gaal now sees Hernandez as a key back-up to captain Wayne Rooney.

“The striker is (Wayne) Rooney, and Chicharito (Javier Hernandez) is the second striker. And he knows that,” he said.

Regardless of who stays or goes at the club between now and the end of the transfer window, Manchester United know they must improve away from home in this campaign.

Having only won six of their away Premier League matches last season, Van Gaal is determined to improve that record this time around.

“Yes, I think that is the key for success this season: we have to improve the away matches because at home we were one of the best – I think third in the league in terms of points in home matches,” he said.

“I want to create a fortress from Old Trafford, so we did that, but away we have to improve a lot and we can improve a lot because last year away was not good.”

Manchester United will take on Aston Villa at 10:45pm at Villa Park.

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Manchester United Aston Villa Villa Park Old Trafford. David De Gea Louis van Gaal

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