Manchester United have warned David de Gea ‘cannot play at the back’ and Erik ten Hag may have to make the same ruthless decision Pep Guardiola made with Joe Hart

Manchester United may have to replace goalkeeper David de Gea if Erik ten Hag wants to play at full-back, talkSPORT say.

The Spanish goalkeeper has been No.1 at Old Trafford since 2011 after signing for a then-British record £18.9m goalkeeper from Atletico Madrid.

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But De Gea’s time at the club could soon be over if Ten Hag insists on instilling his style of play, according to former Liverpool star Danny Murphy.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper came out after the game and apologized for his mistakes in his side’s 4-0 loss to Brentford on Saturday.

And Murphy believes that ultimately De Gea won’t be able to perform at his best this season given that Ten Hag’s philosophy doesn’t sit well with him.

“The only thing about [Manchester] United who understands me is that if you want to play at the back, I understand, well I understand, he [Ten Hag] wants to play football across the lines,” he said on Monday’s Game Night.

“But if you’re going to play from the back, you need to have a goalkeeper who can do that, and he’s [De Gea] not.”

If De Gea has to be substituted due to a new style of play, he won’t be the first goalkeeper playing for a Manchester club to have experienced this.

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Current Celtic star Joe Hart had been Manchester City’s No.1 and was a two-time Premier League title winner.

However, when current boss Guardiola arrived in 2016 he was dropped, with the Spain manager looking for a stopper who was better with his feet.

The former England international was then sold to Burnley – and Murphy can predict that will happen to De Gea.

He added: “It’s a bit like Joe Hart when he left [Manchester] City, he was a brilliant goalkeeper, he had success at Manchester City, but Pep [Guardiola] walked in, and he knew if he was going to play the way he wanted to play, Hart had to leave.

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“So he wants to play this really nice good football in the back of a goalkeeper who can’t do it.”

The former pro went on to explain that Ten Hag also choose to face other United stars out of their natural position, namely summer signing Christian Eriksen.

The Danish midfielder is currently deployed as a midfielder under the United boss, although he has always been an attacking midfielder before.

But as well as putting Ten Hag by putting square pegs into round holes, Murphy believes it’s ultimately the caliber of the team that’s the Red Devils’ problem.

“The main thing is of course that the quality he is is not there,” he said.

“You can adjust and you can move people into different positions, ultimately this team is not going to compete with Chelsea, City and Liverpool.”