David de Gea 'set for shock Man United return' three months after release

David de Gea could be in line for a shock Manchester United return just three months after leaving the club.

The Spaniard ended his 12-year association with United in July after his contract expired on 30 June.

At point it looked as though he would stay put at Old Trafford but the club withdrew their contract offer and so De Gea penned an emotional statement on his departure.

Erik ten Hag elected to bring in Andre Onana from Inter Milan as a £43.8 million replacement, having worked with him at Ajax.

It's said that United asked De Gea to hold off on finding a new club until they had sealed the deal for Onana, who saved a last-gasp penalty against Copenhagen on Tuesday night.

Image: Getty

But despite various links, the longest-serving goalkeeper in United's history is still a free agent.

And in an incredible turn of events, Neil Custis of The Sun claims the Red Devils are planning to bring De Gea back to the club.

The report claims United are ready to offer the 32-year-old a short-term deal due to Onana's impending absence when the Africa Cup of Nations is on.

When he signed for United, Onana had retired from international football with Cameroon due to a disagreement with manager Rigobert Song.

However, after a 10-month spell where he was unavailable, the former Barcelona youth product performed a major U-turn and was recalled to the squad in August.

He's played twice since and United could be without their first-choice goalkeeper for as many as eight games while he is at the AFCON.

The tournament takes place between January 13 and February 11, with Cameroon drawn in Group C with Gambia, Guinea and holders Senegal.

United also brought in a second goalkeeper in Altay Bayindir, who joined from Fenerbahce for £4.3 million.

He is yet to make an appearance for the club. Their third-choice goalkeeper is Tom Heaton, who returned to United for a second spell.

But United are worried that they do not have sufficient cover in between the sticks for a crucial period.

De Gea

Premier League Golden Gloves winner De Gea could be a quick fix solution and recently met up with his old teammates in Manchester.

He sent United fans into meltdown with a picture of himself and captain Bruno Fernandes.

De Gea, who played 545 times, was one of the club's top earners on £375,000-a-week prior to him leaving.

Topics: David De Gea, Manchester United, Andre Onana

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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