Manchester United have insisted that goalkeeper David de Gea will not be frozen out after his proposed move to Real Madrid collapsed at the 11th hour.
The Spain international is yet to play for the Red Devils this season after he continued to be linked with a move to Madrid in the final month of the transfer window.
United and Madrid tried to hash out a deal as the deadline edged closer but failed to complete all the necessary paperwork, and have since blamed each other with separate statements.
Reports in Spain have claimed that De Gea is worried about being overlooked by Louis van Gaal, but the 24-year-old has been included in United's Champions League squad and the club insist that he will be given a chance.
"Those reports are absolute rubbish, the team will always be picked solely on merit," a United spokesman told PA.
De Gea's current contract with United expires at the end of the season, and the Premier League side could offer him a new deal in a final attempt to prevent him from moving to Madrid in either January or next summer.
Pascal Lemesre
