Louis van Gaal has revealed that he dropped David De Gea after the goalkeeper informed members of the Manchester United coaching staff that he did not wish to play in the opening game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur.

Distracted by interest from Real Madrid, De Gea first disclosed his reservations about facing Spurs in a conversation with Frans Hoek, United’s goalkeeping coach, in the days leading up to last Saturday’s fixture.

After learning of De Gea’s wish to be omitted, Van Gaal took the decision to drop the Spain No 1 until the transfer window has closed, having held talks with his backroom staff and come to the conclusion that he would not be in the right frame of mind to play while Real