David de Gea to miss Aston Villa clash for Manchester United

Louis van Gaal has confirmed that Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea will remain dropped from the first team, with  Sergio Romero almost certain to continue as first choice goalkeeper against Aston Villa on Friday.

Romero kept a clean sheet in United's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday, and pulled off a couple of impressive saves. The biggest doubt over his performance was his poor kicking, which was exacerbated by having to play with a central defence of Chris Smalling and Daley Blind ahead of him, and a disjointed midfield performance which prevented United from dominating much of the game as they held onto a slight lead.

De Gea was dropped for that match by Van Gaal because the manager is of the opinion that his performances since the summer break have fallen, as a result of the distraction of a rumoured move to Real Madrid.

Currently it appears that United expect De Gea to stay for one more season and join Real on a free transfer in 2016, but should a move take place before then - United want around £30 million now - Jasper Cillessen and Hugo Lloris are the top candidates for a move.

#MUFC press conference just finished: Van Gaal says De Gea still won't be considered and Januzaj 'not for sale'. More later.

— Daniel Taylor (@DTguardian) August 13, 2015