De Gea's return from exile is a welcome boost for United. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON: David de Gea is set to cap a remarkable return to favour at Manchester United by starting Saturday's clash against Liverpool as Louis van Gaal's spluttering side bid to banish talk of mutiny at Old Trafford.
Just 11 days after coming within minutes of joining Real Madrid, Spain goalkeeper De Gea on Friday signed a new four-year contract at United worth a reported £200,000 ($308,000) a week.
De Gea was left out of Van Gaal's squad for the first six matches of the season because the United manager claimed he wasn't in the right frame of mind to play.
But Van Gaal says the 24-year-old is now fully focused and hinted he would be back in the starting line-up in place of Sergio Romero this weekend.
"Will he play? I will have to judge the session and he knows that," Van Gaal said.
"It's logical that his head is now empty and he can concentrate and focus on the match.
"That is a big change from three or four weeks before, so I hope I can see that and give him his first start."
De Gea's return from exile is a welcome boost for United at the end of a week in which Van Gaal admitted Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick approached him earlier this season because they had concerns about dressing room morale.
I'm not a dictator says van Gaal
Louis van Gaal says his decision to listen to the demands of his Manchester United players proves he is not a dictator.
After accusations of rifts and a player mutiny in the Old Trafford dressing room, United manager van Gaal came out fighting at his weekly press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday's clash against Liverpool.
The 64-year-old admitted Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick came to him after the opening match of the season against Tottenham to air their concerns about morale within a squad frustrated by his man-management methods and training techniques.
But while van Gaal conceded Rooney and Carrick aired their worries with him, he attempted to put a positive spin on the situation.
"Rooney and Michael Carrick came to me and said: 'The dressing room is flat.'," Van Gaal added.
"But I think I have a superb relationship with my players. It is very positive that they are coming to you and that they trust you."
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