David de Gea has made an unforgettable impact at Manchester United.

It's not easy standing between the sticks at Old Trafford when that very position carries the legacies of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar during the Premier League era alone.

But to say that some fans and pundits were writing off De Gea within a few weeks of his move to England, you can't help stepping back and applauding what the Spaniard has managed to achieve.

De Gea's incredible achievements

Sure, the elephant in the room might well be that De Gea has struggled for consistency since the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but there could be no denying his quality during those dazzling peak years.

Besides, I think it's pretty uncontroversial to claim that De Gea was the best Premier League goalkeeper of the 2010s, arguably raising the standard of shot-stopping to new heights.

And it was his astonishing elasticity on the goal-line that saw him win a frankly mind-blowing four Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards within the space of five seasons.

De Gea vs Henderson

Marry that to a Premier League Golden Glove and Match of the Day's prize for the best save of the season five times over and it quickly becomes apparent that De Gea has been a game-changer.

However, almost a decade into his time at the 'Theatre of Dreams', De Gea's position as number one goalkeeper is now being seriously threatened by academy prospect Dean Henderson.

Having returned from loan at Sheffield United, Henderson has jousted for the most game-time with De Gea this season and appears to have wrestled his way into the club's strongest XI.

'De Gea set to leave'

In fact, according to the Mirror, De Gea is now set to end his time in the famous red jersey, freeing up great swathes of United's wage bill and paving the way for Henderson to take over.

The tabloid claimed in a Saturday exclusive that the Spanish shot-stopper 'is set to become surplus to requirements as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer puts his faith in Dean Henderson as his No.1.'

However, it's pointed out that De Gea still has two years left on the contract that sees him pocket £350,000-per-week, meaning that United may have to pay a large slice of his £36.4 million deal.

But it could be worth it in the long-term with the Red Devils paying a barely-comprehensible £570,000 to their senior goalkeepers on a weekly basis. 

It's claimed that United value De Gea at around £50 million but admit that the global situation might make this an unrealistic expectation and the player would likely have to accept a pay cut.

So, there are certainly a few hurdles in the way before United can get De Gea off their wage bill, but there's more reason than ever to think that their fruitful collaboration could be coming to a close.