Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has revealed, in an interview with ESPN Deportes, that Louis van Gaal made sure that he was comfortable once he returned from his summer transfer saga.
De Gea came close to joining Real Madrid on European deadline day before the move fell apart because of the Spanish giants’ failure to file the proper paperwork in time with the authorities.
The Spaniard signed a new four-year contract and Van Gaal, who kept him out from first team action all summer, reinstated him in his first eleven as Manchester United’s number one goalkeeper.
While there was speculation that De Gea and the Dutchman shared a frosty relationship, the Spaniard dismissed the rumours. He admits that he is not friends with the Manchester United boss, but insisted that he is always available to listen to his players, when approached.
The goalkeeper said: "In the end it is hard to be friends with any coach – you have a lot of respect for him, but it is difficult to be their friend.
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"But he is a good person. You can talk with him about anything you want, and face to face he is sincere. We have a normal relationship between a coach and player.
"We both want what is best for the club.”
De Gea also revealed that Van Gaal went out of his way to make him feel comfortable once he returned to the fold after the transfer window and provided him assurances about his position in the team.
"From the first I day I came back, after all that happened, he gave me a lot of confidence, told me I would play, to relax and keep doing what I had done before.”
