David de Gea sought assurances from Manchester United that they were serious about challenging for silverware before signing a contract worth up to £94 million.
De Gea, 28, sealed a new four-year deal yesterday worth about £375,000 a week. The goalkeeper is now contracted until the summer of 2023, but should the club exercise their option to extend his stay by a further 12 months, De Gea will stand to earn about £93.75 million.
The Times understands that De Gea was reluctant to commit his future to United unless he was satisfied about the ambition and direction of the club. De Gea did not want to sign until he was sure that United will start challenging for the Premier League again.
United have not won the league since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013. Last season United finished sixth in the table, but De Gea is now convinced that the team are heading in the right direction under Solskjaer, who replaced José Mourinho as manager last December. Another reason why De Gea has stayed is because he felt he needed to pay back Solskjaer after he stood by him despite making errors last season against Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal.
“Now my future is fixed, all I want is to help this team achieve what I believe we can and win trophies again, together,” De Gea said. “I still feel that I have so much more to achieve at the club and I truly believe that Manchester United can build on the club’s tradition of success.”