David de Gea insisted it's a "dream" to play for Manchester United, having been perennially linked to La Liga side Real Madrid.
The Spaniard told the club's official television channel, MUTV, that he's proud of the plaudits coming his way. De Gea has been seen as one of the world's finest goalkeepers for the past couple of years, and only continues to consolidate that status.
With consecutive 4-0 victories over West Ham United and Swansea City to start the season followed by a 2-0 win against Leicester City most recently, de Gea is yet to concede in the Premier League this season in three games.
De Gea: I'm proud of status as one of world's best
Of his admirers, de Gea told MUTV that "you feel really proud when people think this about you."
"It's really good, but I like to keep my focus, keep working hard and doing my best," the 26-year-old said.
There is no doubt about de Gea's ability but he said at a young age, there was no focus on becoming the world's best.
You don't think about being world's best as a kid, claims de Gea
"To be fair, when you are really young, you don't think about the future too much, you just want to play with your friends.
"When you get older, you start to dream about being there, about being at a top team."
De Gea moved to Old Trafford for a British goalkeeping transfer record fee and struggled initially but says that, "of course, it's a dream to be at a team like Manchester United."
With Real Madrid seemingly content with the performances of Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican who was minutes away from being part of a swap deal for de Gea back in 2015, United fans will hope their ultra-reliable no.1 remains at Old Trafford for some years now.