David De Gea was speaking to us in a hotel room on the 11th floor of the Ritz-Carlton in Perth in July when he expressed a desire to see out his career at Manchester United.
‘I would be really happy to be here for as long as they want,’ said De Gea on United’s tour of Australia. ‘I didn't talk with anyone yet, but I want to be here for more years.’
Trouble is, even the best players rarely get to write their own scripts. Just ask Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar has scored more Premier League goals against Tottenham than any other opponent – including a hat-trick in this fixture last season – but it only got him a place on the bench at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.