DAVID DE GEA’S former mentor Emilio Alvarez has slammed the Manchester United ace for “lacking loyalty” in an astonishing attack.
After three years of negotiations the Spaniard, 29, finally signed a new lucrative contract in September.
The work of Alvarez – along with Jorge Mendes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – helped convince De Gea to snub moves to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, who were circling, and stay at Old Trafford.
But signing fresh terms led to De Gea falling out with his mentor, who’d been with him since his Atletico Madrid days – after he put pen to paper behind his back.
Alvarez told AS: “It took almost three years of hard work to get United to renew his contract and make him the highest-paid player on the team.
“I then learned in my office that he had renewed behind my back.
“Honestly, it seemed like a lack of loyalty to our friendship.
“I did not like that because it seemed unfair.
“I asked David why he hadn’t said anything to me and he replied that because they had told him not to tell anyone. That shocked me.
“The way in which I understand my profession cannot be developed if there is not a great trust between the coach and the goalkeeper.”
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On top of that, Alvarez admitted he had turned down big moves for himself in order to stay with De Gea, only to be stabbed in the back.
Alvarez said: “It’s true, PSG and Real Madrid called me. But I stayed at United so as to not leave De Gea.
“For me, THAT is loyalty. I felt it was the right thing to do at the time.
“Between doing the right thing and the right thing for me, I chose the right thing and being loyal.
“And today, I sleep with a clear conscience. I could have more money, but being happy with myself value it much more.
Alvarez left Old Trafford soon after and is not working at the moment, but he has revealed it was entirely his decision as he couldn’t face working with De Gea anymore.
He continued: “It is not true that Manchester United dispensed with my services.
“In fact, once De Gea renewed, United put a renewal contract on the table for me.
“I was the one who asked to meet with the club to tell them that I wanted to leave and at that meeting they proposed a new contract for me.
“So I told them that I was leaving, but that I was not leaving because of United but because I could not train De Gea.
“In addition to having been his mentor at Atletico, I was the person who convinced him to sign for United and his goalkeeping coach. I was his trusted person in Manchester.
“I came to United thanks to the great work of Jorge Mendes and because Jose Mourinho wanted to sign me for the development and permanence of [De Gea] in the club, because at that moment he wanted to leave.”
