Now we know the “personal reasons” that forced Manchester United No.1 David De Gea to miss the goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday are. De Gea, who is married to Spanish pop star Edurne Garcia, was given permission by the club to be there for the birth of his child in Spain.
Dean Henderson, who filled in admirably against the Eagles, will start in goal on Sunday in the Manchester Derby. De Gea will be given time before having to return to Manchester, but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he expects his shot-stopper to not be on leave for long.
Manchester Derby FYIs
Kickoff: 5:30 GMT, Sun Mar 7, City of Manchester Stadium
TV: NBCSN (US), Sky Sports (UK)
Starting XI Predictions: City United
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Odds: City -134 United +320 Draw +290
“I’ll give him the time he needs before he comes back, he asked to go home and in the old world that’s a day and you come back and you’re ready again and now we’re in a pandemic and the quarantines of course it’s a different world but still we felt it was right,” said Solskjaer added.
“Dean came in (against Palace) and played well and he’s ready so I’ll give David the time he needs.
“As soon as David travels back we just have to follow the rules. Yeah, I expect him to be available very soon, not too far. I don’t know when he’ll be back, it won’t be long before he comes. Dean did well against Palace and I’m sure he’s looking forward to the City game as well, he’s had that experience already this season in the Carabao Cup so that stands him in good stead.”
De Gea and Henderson are currently in the midst of a fierce position battle. Many United supporters are calling for Henderson to replace De Gea, but the Spaniard was man of the match in the goalless draw against Chelsea.
After the derby on Sunday, United’s next match is a Europa League clash against AC Milan. Typically, UEL fixtures would see Henderson play, so it’s likely that De Gea’s return could instead be March 14, in the league against West Ham United.
Of course, like Ole said, coronavirus protocols for isolation, following international travel, will be at work here, so that will impact when De Gea can return to action.
Prediction: Manchester City 0, Manchester United 0
Yes, of course I had to predict this scoreline, which is getting to be more punchline right now.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.