Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is set to make his first team return for his national team in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Macedonia later tonight in Skopje. De Gea last played for Spain in a friendly against Costa Rica in June.
De Gea, whose much talked-about move to Real Madrid fell through on deadline day, hasn’t made a single appearance for Manchester United this season, and his lack of match practice meant he wasn’t a shoe in for a starting berth against Slovakia on Saturday.
But Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has opened up on De Gea’s current situation, and says the goalkeeper is in condition to play.
“He’s in condition to play. We have talked with him and he is fine,” Del Bosque was quoted as saying by The Times.
The experienced coach believes De Gea is ready to play tonight for Spain, after having talks with the goalkeeper.
“He is a mature guy and is ready to play without suffering any burden of what happened. I have talked to him. I did not want to give him any advice because many people have already done it.”
Spain are on top of Group C after registering their sixth win of the qualifying campaign against Slovakia in Oviedo on Saturday. They are expected to cruise past Macedonia, who are bottom of the group, and Del Bosque has revealed there will be changes to the line-up for tonight’s game, and De Gea could replace Iker Casillas in goal.
“I just asked whether he was in condition to play and he told me, ‘Yes’. Nothing else. We have a big squad and we must rotate it,” he added.
De Gea’s first competitive action in the current season could be have a bearing on whether he plays for United in their Premier League game against Liverpool at the weekend. With the Red Devils having looked defensively suspect in their loss to Swansea last month, De Gea’s return into the side could be a welcome boost in a big game.
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