Bengaluru, September 5: In the midst of his widespread praise for his performances, Spain goalkeeper David De Gea has stated that he is proud to play for Manchester United and has thanked pundits for considering him one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

David De Gea joined Manchester United in 2011 from Atletico Madrid and after some initial struggle in his primary days, the 26-year-old slowly but surely established himself amongst the world’s most elite goalkeepers.

The Spanish goalkeeper had been heavily linked with Real Madrid for two seasons but in a recent interview with MUTV, the Spanish goalkeeper revealed that he is focussed on playing football for Manchester United, rather than worry about his future for the time being.

When inquired about the widespread recognition he has received for his performances, De Gea told MUTV: "Of course, you feel really proud when people think this about you.

"It’s really good, but I like to keep my focus, keep working hard and doing my best. To be fair, when you are really young, you don’t think about the future too much, you just want to play with your friends.

"When you get older, you start to dream about being there, about being at a top team, so of course it’s a dream to be at a team like Manchester United."

The Spanish number one who again made some brilliant saves as Spain beat Italy 3-0 in their World Cup Qualifier at the Bernabeu on Saturday (September 2) also admitted that he never thought about being one of the best keepers in the world in his younger days and only played football with love.

"It’s difficult. I don’t know. I never thought that when I was young," De Gea said.

"Maybe when I was 15 or 16 years old, I started feeling better, thinking that I could play at a high level. At the same time, I was also playing tennis and things like that, but I was always better at football. I played some basketball too, but football is what I love."

The Goalkeeper who is yet to concede a goal this season will return to Manchester on Thursday (September 7) after their qualifier against Liechtenstein and will hope to maintain his clean sheet streak to continue at the club.