Rio Ferdinand believes that David de Gea has proven himself worthy of a new contract at Manchester United, despite the fact that Erik ten Hag's system may not be the best fit for the goalkeeper's playing style.

De Gea, who is now 31 years old, has been a member of the Red Devils' roster for more than a decade and continues to be Old Trafford's starting goalkeeper. In spite of this, Ten Hag is said to have reservations about the Spaniard's ability to play the style of football that he favors and to want a goalkeeper who is more at ease when they have the ball at their feet rather than the one they currently have.

De Gea, for his part, recently stated that he would like to extend his contract with United, which is set to expire the following summer but has the option to be extended for an additional season. The contract currently stands at an expiration date of next summer. Ferdinand acknowledges that his former teammate is not the best in the business at passing out from the back, but he has thrown his weight behind the 'keeper to help him answer his critics once more.

Regarding De Gea, Ferdinand stated to BT Sport that he would offer a contract to the player. "I think his character speaks a lot, because he's had times where he got taken out of the team for Dean Henderson [and people have] questioned his quality, and I think that speaks volumes about his character.

"Even when he first came to the club, people were saying, 'Is he the right one?'; because he was so young at the time, maybe he's not the right guy; however, he always comes through.

"The only thing you have to say... is that we can all say, 'He's a very good goalkeeper.' That's all you have to say. We take a look at [Edouard] Mendy, the goalkeeper for Chelsea, and he is fantastic. People were saying that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world last season and the season before that... The manager has expressed interest in switching up the team's playing style.

De Gea wants to continue at Manchester United.

"It all depends on how Erik ten Hag wants to play football," the commentator said. If he wants to play out from the back like he did with Ajax, he needs someone who is actually better with their feet because that is probably the biggest strength in their game. If he wants to play out from the front like he did with Real Madrid, he needs someone who is actually better with their head. David De Gea, it is not even close to being his primary strength.

"He's excellent enough with his feet, in my opinion, but his major strength is his shot-stopping," said the coach. That is the reason why he is present. It's about their feet first," is the philosophy that some managers have adopted, which means they no longer want that part to be their strongest.

De Gea told BT Sport the following after helping Manchester United win 2-1 away at Everton on Sunday night: "It was amazing to be in goal today, with the team pushing for three points." I'm just very focused on the games and contributing as much as I can to the team's success. Obviously, I hope that I will be able to continue working here for many more years, but we will have to wait and see what the future holds. I am overjoyed to be in this location."