David de Gea looks “a little bit disillusioned” with life at Manchester United, says Paul Parker, who thinks the goalkeeper’s mind is not in the right place despite the fact he committed his future to the club.
Fresh terms agreed in September are set to a keep a four-time Player of the Year at Old Trafford until the summer of 2023.
That deal means there is little chance of De Gea heading elsewhere, having previously sparked plenty of speculation regarding interest from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
United worked hard to secure his services after seeing the 29-year-old become an integral part of their plans.
De Gea has, however, seen the odd mistakes creep back into his game of late, having previously been a model of consistency, with another costly error contributing to a 2-0 defeat at Watford last time out.
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Parker believes the Spaniard is paying the price for having carried United for so long, with a world-class performer needing those around him to match his ambition.
“I think David de Gea is a little bit disillusioned, which is why these errors have come into his game,” former Red Devils defender Parker told Eurosport.
“He's had to carry his outfield team-mates a lot over the last few years and I'm not sure his mind is in the right place at the moment.
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“For the incident against Watford, he was either thinking ahead and messed up the easy bit of his job, perhaps he's generally worried about the state of the club, or maybe he's worried about his form, especially with the Euros coming up.
“There are a lot of players who make more mistakes than him. He's dragged Manchester United into Europe on his own in previous seasons.
“We have to remember that before we write him off or condemn him.”
Parker added on what the future holds for De Gea, who has been on the Red Devils’ books since the summer of 2011: “It's very hard to see him leaving United for a while yet though. With his new contract, he would cost a hell of a lot of money.
“He probably just needs changes at the club to feel better in himself. The 10 United outfielders were terrible on Sunday.
“All his error really did was change the headline.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping to see De Gea, and the rest of his side, get a top-four bid back on track when they take in a Premier League meeting with Newcastle United on Boxing Day.