De Gea eager to follow United greats
The 20-year-old keeper, who is away with Spain’s Under-21 side at the European Championships in Denmark, is expected to seal a move to United at the beginning of next month, but the youngster says he is focused on his national team for now.
“I am trying to stay focused on the Euros for now because it’s fundamentally important to our hopes that we all think only about that,” he said.
Nevertheless, the keeper admits he is proud of United’s interest in signing him.
“Manchester United are a great club and if they are interested in you, it’s a compliment,” he said.
The deal is set to go ahead early next month and not beforehand, because the negotiations have been handled by Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes, who will not represent De Gea until the beginning of July, when the deal with his current representative runs out.
However, the official line from the player is he wants to concentrate on the Euros.
“I’m just more relaxed if I focus on the Euros,” he said. “I want my head here, not somewhere else.”
Despite those words, a move to United looks a formality though, and De Gea will hope to follow in the footsteps of two of his idols.
“Edwin has been playing for 20 years at the highest level; he’s a great goalkeeper and a big point of reference for me,” he said.
“(When I was younger) I liked (Peter) Schmeichel a lot, as well as Van der Sar — they’re the two best that I’ve seen.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is hopeful the club’s transfer activity this summer will give the Reds the opportunity to redress the balance in their long-running battle with United.
Alex Ferguson’s side edged one ahead of their arch-rivals in terms of championship titles with their 19th success in May.
By contrast, Liverpool have not won the league since 1990 — when Kenny Dalglish was in charge first time around — and their last trophy of any kind was the 2006 FA Cup.
With owners Fenway Sports Group willing to invest heavily in players for the long-term future — having recently signed England U21 midfielder Jordan Henderson in a £20m deal — Gerrard is optimistic they can match United and he will win more trophies before the end of his Anfield career.
“As a Liverpool fan and a player it’s frustrating when you see your arch-rivals lifting trophies but you’ve got to give credit where it’s due. They’ve won it, they’ve overtaken us,” said the 31-year-old. “Now the challenge for us is to equalise.
“We’ve got to make sure we’ve got a squad capable of going into the season and competing with Manchester United.
“It’s a big statement by the club getting a big signing in early and now we’re watching anxiously for a few more to follow. It’s exciting times.
“It’s important this team delivers very soon because we’ve been a number of seasons without putting a trophy in the cabinet and that’s not what Liverpool is about.
“I want to play well, I want to score goals — but it’s much more important that the team plays well and we all end the season happy.”
Gerrard is currently undergoing a programme of rehabilitation in Portugal after groin surgery in March but he will be ready for the start of pre-season.
It is has been the longest spell on the sidelines of his career but the England midfielder is confident he and Liverpool will feel the benefit when the new Premier League campaign kicks off in August.
“I want to come back with a bang, I want to have a big season,” Gerrard said
“I’ll come back hungry and hopefully there’s a very productive season ahead for me.
“I’ve had a rest mentally, my injury’s coming on well and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
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