David De Gea says he doesn’t regret missing out on Real Madrid transfer

De Gea almost joined Real Madrid in 2015

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea says he has no regrets on missing out on a transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2015. De Gea looked set to make the move to his hometown club as part of a deal that would see Keylor Navas head to Old Trafford, but a faulty fax machine meant the move was called off.

De Gea is open to staying at United for the rest of his career

It would be hard to begrudge De Gea if he was to feel some sort of regret. Since the deal collapsed, Madrid have gone on to win the Champions League four times while the Spaniard has added an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League medal to his collection. But the experienced shot-stopper has no regrets and now wants to stay at the club for as long as he can, potentially for the rest of his career. "Yeah, if it’s possible, of course. I would be really happy to be here for as long as they want," he told the Daily Mail. "If they let me stay here, I will stay here, for sure. I’m really comfortable, really happy and hopefully, before I leave we can win something. "I feel very good here. It’s a privilege, it’s an honour to be here in this club. It’s one of the best things in my life, to be a part of this club."

'Some games were a mess, a disaster'

The 31-year-old was a regular member of the squad last season, despite sharing the goalkeeping duties with Dean Henderson on some occasions, as United failed to qualify for the Champions League. Looking back on their difficult campaign, De Gea didn't hold back and said that the Red Devils were "embarrassing" on some occasions.

"Yeah, for me and for everyone, it was a very tough season, embarrassing sometimes," he said. "Some games were a mess, a disaster.

"So we should learn from last season that it cannot happen again because it was tough. I hope everyone reflects.

"It was painful to be there and we are not capable of winning games. Losing 4-0 or 5-0, it was unacceptable. Sometimes you have to feel pain to go up and keep going."

United looking strong in pre-season

United have won all three games of their pre-season schedule so far and take on Aston Villa on Saturday before fixtures against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. Erik ten Hag will take charge of his first competitive game against Brighton and Hove Albion on August 7. Related links:

• Erik ten Hag fires warning shot at Cristiano Ronaldo
• Footage of Erik ten Hag hounding even United’s youngest players is giving fans hope
• Erik ten Hag unleashes sweary rant at David De Gea during pre-season friendly