David De Gea in contention for Manchester United recall vs. Liverpool

David De Gea is set to make his first appearance of the season in Spain's trip to Macedonia, and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is sure to be a keen viewer of the match.

The Dutchman has claimed that the Spanish shot stopper is too distracted by the speculation surrounding his future amid Real Madrid's interest, and had banished him from the first-team picture as a result.

Spain manager Vincente Del Bosque now looks set to hand De Gea some minutes.

"He is a mature guy and is ready to play without suffering any burden of what happened," Del Bosque told reporters. "I have talked to him. I did not want to give him any advice because many people have already done it."

The will-he-won't-he De Gea saga culminated in one of the most dramatic transfer stories in recent memory, with United and Real blaming one another for the deal collapsing on deadline day.

Related: Manchester United responds to Real Madrid's De Gea claims: 'Culpability is yours'

"I just asked whether he was in condition to play and he told me yes. Nothing else. We have a big squad and we must rotate it."

Question marks surround the capability of Sergio Romero - who has deputised in De Gea's absence - to hold down a regular spot for United. And with such a massive game against Liverpool at the weekend, and the transfer window over, it may be time to recall Manchester United's player of the year for each of the last two seasons.