David De Gea insists that it is a dream to be a Manchester United player, despite constantly being linked with a switch to Real Madrid.
Despite a difficult start to his United career following his switch from Atletico Madrid back in 2011, De Gea has flourished at Old Trafford and is considered one of the best goalkeepers in world football.
He did, however, look all set for a return to Madrid to join Real in 2015, although issues over the completion of paperwork on deadline day scuppered that move and he remained in Manchester.
De Gea signed a new deal at Old Trafford soon after that ties him to the club until 2019 and, despite the rumours of a big-money transfer to Zinedine Zidane's side refusing to go away, he is adamant it remains a dream to play for United.
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When asked about the widespread praise he has received for his performances, De Gea told MUTV: "Of course, you feel really proud when people think this about you.
"It’s really good, but I like to keep my focus, keep working hard and doing my best. To be fair, when you are really young, you don’t think about the future too much, you just want to play with your friends.
"When you get older, you start to dream about being there, about being at a top team, so of course it’s a dream to be at a team like Manchester United."
De Gea also discussed how he got into football and, when asked when he knew he was going to be a top goalkeeper, he added: "It’s difficult. I don’t know. I never thought that when I was young.
"Maybe when I was 15 or 16 years old, I started feeling better, thinking that I could play at a high level. At the same time, I was also playing tennis and things like that, but I was always better at football. I played some basketball too, but football is what I love."