There's a scenario where David de Gea could start eight consecutive games for Man Utd if he returns

If he does return, then David de Gea could start as many as eight consecutive games for Manchester United – and that's in January alone.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper, who left Old Trafford in July after 12 years with the Premier League club, is still a free agent after failing to agree terms on a new contract at United.

But it was reported this week that the Spaniard could make a sensational return to his old stomping ground.

That's according to The Sun, who claim United are planning a move for De Gea on a short-term deal amid concerns they will be lacking in the goalkeeper department when Andre Onana goes to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Onana, who returned to the Cameroon squad in September after a suspension led to his dismissal from last winter's World Cup, will be away for a lengthy period.

AFCON will begin on January 13th and end on February 11th, meaning the 27-year-old could miss as many as eight games for his new club.

These include four Premier League clashes against Spurs, Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa.

And if Onana gets an early call-up to feature in Cameroon's pre-tournament camp, he could also miss United's FA Cup third round clash tie that's set to take place on the weekend of January 6-7.

In addition to the above, Onana would miss both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final if United manage to progress, with those games set to go ahead on the weeks commencing January 8th and January 22nd.

It doesn't stop there, either. Should United progress out of their Champions League group, then they would play the first leg of a last-16 clash just 48 hours after the AFCON final.

Image credit: Getty

Of course, this all depends on whether Cameroon manage to reach the showpiece event on February 11th, but this is the worst-case scenario.

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