Manchester United keeper David De Gea warned by Edwin van der Sar he is NOT irreplaceable

The Spaniard has rejected a new £200,000-a-week deal at Old Trafford, and is expected to move to Real Madrid this summer

Edwin van der Sar has warned David De Gea he is not “irreplaceable” if he decides to ditch Manchester United for Real Madrid.

De Gea is poised to move this summer - with Real preparing a £25m bid - and return to his native Spain after rejecting a new £200,000-a-week contract from United.

Signed for £18.3m from Atletico Madrid four years ago, De Gea has become a key figure for United but is ready to seize the chance to succeed Iker Casillas as Real's No.1.

De Gea, 24, succeeded Van der Sar, who spent six years at United, winning four Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League.

Despite De Gea's progress, which has seen him crowned United's Player of the Year for the past two seasons, Van der Sar believes the Reds will have no problem finding an adequate replacement.

“Nobody is irreplaceable, that's always the case,” said Van der Sar, back at Old Trafford yesterday to play in a legends' charity match.

“At the start of the season you start with 11 players. A new player may need a little bit of adjustment or will take some time to see how the Premier League works and the different type of football.

“But I'm sure United, if David is going to leave, are going to find a good successor.”

Van der Sar, 44, acknowledged De Gea's growth in stature since his difficult first season at United, when a string of mistakes saw him dropped by former boss Sir Alex Ferguson midway through the campaign.

“He had some difficulties in his first year, in his second year he came on well, and in the third and fourth he progressed immensely,” said Van de Sar.