Real Madrid: Keylor Navas was in tears over proposed Manchester United move in David de Gea swap

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas has admitted he is not afraid of Real Madrid making another attempt to lure David de Gea from Manchester United to play his football at the Santiago Bernabeu as he is ready to fight for his place with the best players. The Costa Rica international, meanwhile, claimed he never wanted to leave the La Liga side but felt he was being forced to do so because the proposed arrival of Spaniard would have restricted his playing time.

Navas agreed to move to the Premier League giants as part of De Gea's proposed return to his homeland but the United 'keeper's transfer fell through after the paperwork did not arrive in time to La Liga headquarters.

Since then, Navas has secured five clean sheets in the five first games of the campaign – four in La Liga and one in the Champions League – showing he has the ability to fill the gap left by ex-Real 'keeper Iker Casillas.

Asked whether he is afraid of Real Madrid trying to sign De Gea in the future, Navas said: "No. I trust in myself. I have always said that I will give my best wherever I am. I hope to continue the same way. At Real Madrid there are the best players and I will fight for my place with whoever it is [at the Bernabeu]. De Gea is an excellent keeper. He has a great future and is doing well at his club."

The keeper, meanwhile, admitted he was in tears after his move from the Santiago Bernabeu to Manchester United collapsed on deadline day, claiming it was one of the "worst days of his life".

"It was a build-up of emotions. I didn't want to leave, Madrid is my home," he said. "I thought that if God wanted me to leave Madrid, it would be for the best, but he didn't want me to and I'm still here.

"It was a complicated situation. Many thoughts passed through my head that day but in those kind moments it is when you have to be as stable as possible and see what will happen in the future."

The 'keeper added, in an interview with Cadena Cope: "And I obviously wanted to play because I had already had a year on the bench. That is a difficult situation which nobody likes. I wanted to play and the end is what happened. My agent told me to be alert to my phone [the same day everything happened]. We had to go to Barajas, although I never actually got on a plane, I was in a waiting room just following order.

"I signed the Manchester United contract on a stretcher at Valdebebas while I had my medical, but I want to write my own story at this club and win everything this season. We have things to improve, but we're on the right path."