In terms of Manchester United's long-term goals for their goalkeeper position, this week very well may have proven to be a turning point. On the same evening that David de Gea delivered a performance worthy of a master class in the victory over Real Sociedad, one of the most talented goalkeepers in the world made a significant decision regarding his career moving forward.

The performance that De Gea turned in on Thursday night was so impressive that it even earned praise from the Spanish press when he returned to his country of origin. Luis Enrique may live to regret his decision not to include the 31-year-old player in Spain's provisional squad for the World Cup because there was no room for him in the squad. This season, he has responded to his critics once again with a string of stellar showings, just as he has done at club level. So much has been said about the United shot-awkward stopper's fit into the progressive style of play adopted by his national team. However, this season he has responded to his critics with a string of stellar showings.

De Gea had a poor performance on the first day of the season against Brighton, and then he had a terrible performance in the embarrassing loss at Brentford. The response that he provided to those questions regarding his suitability was unequivocal.

The former goalkeeper for Atletico Madrid has continued to be in outstanding form for United, rescuing points for the club single-handedly with a series of outstanding saves. There are very few goalkeepers in the world who are better than him when it comes to the most important aspect of the position, which is to prevent the ball from going into the net. He may not be able to pass the ball around as well as many modern No. 1s.

It was he who produced stops that few other goalkeepers could do, certainly not at the remarkable rate that he does, denying West Ham a goal over the weekend and again against Sociedad in the middle of the week. He produced stops that few other goalkeepers could do.

In spite of the fact that United's 1-0 victory in the Europa League on Thursday night did not bring them any closer to achieving their ultimate objective, it would be unfair to characterize the night as a failure. It is a huge compliment to the team that winning away from home and keeping a clean sheet can now be nosed as disappointment, especially when you remember just how far they've come this season. It is especially impressive when you consider how far they've come when you consider how far they've come this season. The team coached by Ten Hag has now won their last seven matches across all competitions while posting a perfect clean sheet record six times. The only goal that they let in during that run was a late penalty at Stamford Bridge, and it has been over 630 minutes of play since they let in a goal from open play for the first time since that run began.

Despite the fact that they have a defensive record that any other team would be jealous of, there is still a strong desire among a significant number of supporters for the club to consider making a change in goalkeeper for the upcoming season. United are not ruling out the possibility of acquiring a new goalkeeper in the near future; however, they will only do so if it is possible to acquire the appropriate player for the appropriate position. After everything else that took place on Thursday, that might be a lot more difficult to do.

Because Diogo Costa recently signed a new long-term contract with Porto, the recruitment department has been keeping a close eye on him as they consider a possible goalkeeper addition for the upcoming season. However, it will take a lot more money to buy him now that he has committed to staying at Porto for the foreseeable future.

The 23-year-old player signed a contract that will keep him at the Portuguese club until the year 2027. By doing so, he protected his value and ensured that any potential buyer will have to pay an exorbitant amount of money in order to acquire his services.

It was reported that Costa's previous contract included a release clause worth £51 million, but it has been reported that the new deal has seen that bumped up to £65.5 million (€75 million). This means that if a team were to activate it next year, Costa would become the third-most expensive goalkeeper in the history of the sport. There is still a sound argument in favor of this as well. For that transfer fee, Costa could play for United for the next ten years, and there is compelling evidence to suggest that he would bring the same kind of overall improvement to the team that Alisson and Ederson did for Liverpool and Man City, respectively.

The question that needs to be answered for United is whether or not investing their money in that manner would be the most beneficial course of action for the upcoming year. Ten Hag and the recruitment team have to determine which position would provide them with the greatest gains. It may be challenging to make a case for a marginal improvement in goal, but this decision must be made.

The addition of a new striker is going to be United's top priority for the upcoming transfer window, but the club is also considering bringing in a new fullback and possibly even another midfielder. They will not want to sign a new goalkeeper simply for the sake of doing so, and with funds likely to be limited unless significant sales take place, it is possible that signing someone like Costa will not be an option for them.

Although Ten Hag has long-term plans to acquire a new goalkeeper, David de Gea will continue to play the position for the time being.