David de Gea still wants to be considered for selection by Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, despite the Dutchman accusing the goalkeeper of lacking focus.

Van Gaal has argued that De Gea's mind is elsewhere following sustained interest from Real Madrid but Sportsmail understands that De Gea declared himself ready to play for Manchester United in their first game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur.

Sources close to the Spanish goalkeeper in Madrid insist that he has trained 'perfectly well' during the last fortnight and at no point has he intimated to Louis van Gaal that he would refuse to play for the club.

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Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has not intimated to the club that he would refuse to play

De Gea watched his side seal a 1-0 win against Tottenham alongside his team-mates on Saturday afternoon

Argentina No 1 Sergio Romero was given the nod to start due to the uncertainty regarding De Gea's future

He is continuing to train with the United first team and is prepared to play Aston Villa on Friday. Associates of the player have been perturbed by suggestions that he is not concentrating on the job at hand and they believe De Gea has acted professionally throughout the process.

It is expected, however, that Van Gaal will continue with Sergio Romero after suggesting on Saturday that De Gea will not be considered for selection until the end of the transfer window.

'We have observed him in preparation and that was not the same David de Gea as last year,' Van Gaal said.

'Of course when the situation has been cleared after September 1 we will look again. But I'm happy Sergio [Romero] did well. He saved us twice.'

Several United players were surprised that Van Gaal made the decision to start Romero ahead of De Gea as the Argentine did not play a minute of football for United in pre-season.

Van Gaal decided to start Romero on Saturday and was ultimately vindicated as Romero impressed and kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory.

It was, however, a blow for young Sam Johnstone, who played some part in every pre-season match in the USA and is now expected to press on in his attempts to secure regular football elsewhere.

United have five goalkeepers, of course, and in one of the more peculiar images of the season, De Gea watched on from the stands alongside fellow international outcasts Victor Valdes and Anders Lindegaard.

Goalkeepers Victor Valdes and Anders Lindegaard watched the game from the stands alongside De Gea

Sam Johnstone (left, pictured with Romero) was named on the substitutes' bench against Tottenham

Valdes has not even been given a shirt number after a huge row with Van Gaal while Lindegaard has been told he can leave the club.

United continue to hold out for £35m for De Gea but Madrid believe that the asking price is unrealistic for a player whose contract expires at the end of this season and who has been deemed unplayable by his own manager. They are set to test the waters again this week by offering a package worth in excess of £20m.

Madrid have been making discreet overtures towards intermediaries and De Gea since as early as last November and he made the decision to return to the Spanish capital after the turn of the year.

He was expecting the transfer to be resolved before the start of pre-season and he is still expecting to be a Real Madrid player at the beginning of September.

De Gea expects to join Real Madrid before the transfer window shuts at the beginning of September