David De Gea has been included in Manchester United’s Champions League squad in a sign they are confident of keeping him but Louis van Gaal signalled there is no reprieve for Victor Valdes by omitting him.
Van Gaal chose not to pick De Gea for the United’s Premier League opener against Tottenham because of his concerns about the Real Madrid target’s state of mind.
But he gave himself the option of fielding the Spaniard in the two-legged playoff against Club Brugge, where the winner will earn a place in the group stages.
Van Gaal has told Real that if they want to sign De Gea, they have to pay his market value and United want a world record fee for a goalkeeper if they are to let the 24-year-old go.
If not, United are willing to keep their double player of the year and will run the risk of losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Van Gaal decided not to take former Barcelona goalkeeper Valdes on tour to the United States and declared he would be sold for refusing to play for the club’s reserves.
He then opted not to give the 33-year-old a squad number and reiterated that he has no place in his plans by choosing not to put him in the 28-man party.
So even if De Gea is sold, the triple Champions League winner will not be recalled against the Belgian club.
Van Gaal’s squad includes three other goalkeepers — Sergio Romero, who started against Tottenham, Sam Johnstone and Anders Lindegaard.
There are no other surprises in the squad, which includes all five of Van Gaal’s summer signings and injured defender Phil Jones, who is unlikely to be fit for either game against Brugge.
United can add one further player to their squad by 11 a.m. BST on Monday, giving them the option of including a signing, if one is made, in the meantime. They are interested in Barcelona’s Pedro.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Anders Lindegaard, Sergio Romero, Sam Johnstone
Defenders: Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw, Paddy McNair, Matteo Darmian, Tyler Blackett
Midfielders: Adnan Januzaj, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira
Forwards: Memphis Depay, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, James Wilson
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