08 August,2015 10:45 AM IST | | PA Sport
Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal drops No 1 'keeper from EPL opener against Tottenham on Saturday as he's not in right frame of mind
Manchester United 'keeper David De Gea
Manchester: David de Gea has been dropped for Manchester United's game against Tottenham because he has been mentally affected by speculation regarding his future, according to manager Louis van Gaal.
Goalkeeper De Gea has been linked with a move to Real Madrid all summer, but remains on United's books going into the season.
Manchester United 'keeper David De Gea. Pic/Getty Images
The Spaniard will not play any part in the first game of the new campaign versus Spurs, however, as he is not in the right frame of mind. "He shall not play," the United boss said. "We have problems with De Gea. I think the human being is more than only the player and I don't think he can manage that. It's not easy for De Gea to manage his situation."
United have retained a firm stance on De Gea, insisting he will not be sold to the Spanish giants unless they receive Sergio Ramos in return. But Van Gaal admitted the situation with De Gea, whose pop star girlfriend lives in Madrid, was not favourable at the end of United's pre-season tour.
When asked what he thought the outcome of the De Gea saga would be, Van Gaal said: "I don't know. That's in process. I cannot lead this process. I can only watch and observe and that's what I'm doing, I'm not participating."
Van Gaal has a number of replacements for today's game, but none of them are ideal. Sam Johnstone played all four games of United's pre-season tour, but is yet to make his competitive debut and spent the majority of last season on loan at League One sides Preston and Doncaster.
Victor Valdes has been frozen out while Anders Lindegaard has not played a EPL game since April 2014. Sergio Romero only signed for the club on July 27 and is yet to turn out in a United shirt.
