How can Manchester United keep David De Gea at Old Trafford?

Rio Ferdinand correctly pointed out that Arsenal lack the mental strength to succeed. He noted that the team now is the same as it has been for the past decade. They, and their manager, are seemingly content to stay in the top four and do the same the next year. It would be an impressive achievement if it were done on a tight budget, or if Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich were the other competition. But it isn't. The Premier League has produced some excellent sides over the last decade, but like last year, there were times when it was more about being the least bad side.

Arsenal are deficient, now, by design. Ferdinand went on to point out that when Gunners players snap out of their own mediocrity, they decide to join another team who will allow them to win things instead of just taking selfies after beating Spurs. Cesc Fabregas went to Barcelona and won La Liga. Robin van Persie left for Manchester United, instantly got even better, and found himself with a Premier League title. United - despite running on fumes - and Barcelona both demonstrate why Arsenal are a complete waste of time for players who want to win things. There will always be an excuse for Arsenal, just as in turn there will always be a better side. Even Leicester.

The point is that the best players do not need to wait. With the way the transfer system works these days, the longest you will have to show patience and force through a transfer is a season. Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to stay at United for one more season, just to make it easier to leave in the following year. You can either strike or negotiate, but the way out is always there if you really want it. David De Gea, it seems, hasn't quite yet really wanted it. Clearly he wanted to leave under Louis van Gaal (and that's just common sense), but his lack of determination allowed both sides to play a game of brinkmanship. Whatever happened between Ed Woodward, Real Madrid and an internet connection, it could have been resolved had De Gea handed in a transfer request a week before. He didn't, and so he missed his chance.

There is talk again of Real Madrid trying to take De Gea back to Spain. Jose Mourinho doesn't seem fettered in the slightest, and there are rumours that De Gea will be bumped up to £200,000 a week in order to stay. That might be enough, after all. De Gea enjoys life in Manchester and also likes the club itself. That's not rare, but it's not common either. There are enough miserable stories of life in Madrid ruined by their fans, the most obnoxious and entitled in the world, to make De Gea have second thoughts about making the move. But on the other hand, there is the Arsenal factor: United aren't really winning anything anymore, and they aren't on the cusp of greatness, either. Roy Keane said at the start of his final season at Old Trafford that when he played with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, however young they were, there was obviously something coming through. From here, it's not clear that's the case for Mourinho. There are a few things that United have to do in order to make a compelling case for De Gea to stay for at least one more season, beyond a lorry full of cash.

First up, a minor concern overall, is the League Cup. It has been the start of two great sides. It was the first title won by Jose Mourinho in his first spell at Chelsea, the one to launch a side with Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. It formed a winning habit that they never lost. Shortly after, it was the League Cup against Wigan Athletic that saw Ruud van Nistelrooy excised from the United first team and usurped by Louis Saha. It was the beginning of the side that ultimately won the Champions League. Alex Ferguson's last great team. If Mourinho is to rebuild United, he could do worse than picking up the League Cup, and perhaps the FA Cup in a few months, to show De Gea that trophies are a regular occurrence under him.

Next up is the Champions League. There's no point being brilliant at football if you don't get to test yourself against your true peers. For that, United need to get back into the Champions League. Two points separate second from sixth. Spurs aren't going to win the league, Liverpool are stuffed with average players, Arsenal are mentally weak and Manchester City are managed by an obstructive purist. There is the chance to take one of their places if United can gain some kind of consistency and durability. That is Mourinho and the team's job - it is something De Gea already offers. It is no easy achievement but it is the least De Gea should expect from team-mates. Linked to the Champions League is the Europa League – if United can manage their way past the might of St Etienne, and the harder tasks to come, then the Europa League might not just be a sop to fans. It guarantees Champions League football, but it also signifies some kind of merit on the wider European continent.

And lastly, there's money, and what to do with it. Spending money on the contract for De Gea makes sense, but there needs to be more. There needs to be hope. Antoine Griezmann would be first on the list, a player who would get rid of Anthony Martial. The 21-year-old has done nothing especially wrong for a young player, but ruthlessly culling him for not being excellent now, is instructive. Add to that a replacement for Michael Carrick – perhaps for a player capable of actually learning something – and putting some sensible defenders behind him, and United could be a proper team again. United have plenty to prove to De Gea. De Gea has nothing to prove to United, so they need to hurry up.