Kepa Arrizabalaga: Chelsea keeper explains his ‘very good’ relationship with Manchester United’s David De Gea

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed that he ‘often talks on the phone’ with his Spain counterpart David De Gea.

The contest to be La Furia Roja’s No 1 is fiercely competitive, with Manchester United star De Gea, a regular for his country, hot on the heels of the Blues ace.

Kepa has got the nod from Spain head coach Luis Enrique in two of Spain’s last four internationals, keeping clean sheets in the 2-0 victory over Malta and the 1-0 success over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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Meanwhile, De Gea, who at 28 is four years Kepa’s senior, was Spain’s first choice at the 2018 World Cup and was an ever present for the Red Devils in a difficult 2018/2019 campaign.

Luis Enrique also has Real Betis’ Pau Lopez at his disposal for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Sweden.

However, Arrizabalanga has insisted it all remains healthy competition as the trio compete for the number one jersey.

“There are three goalkeepers in the squad,” said Kepa. “We have all been called up by Luis Enrique and we all want to play. We train hard and then it is the coach who decides.

“My relationship with De Gea is very good, we have worked well together. In addition to competing, we often talk on the phone. We have a fluid relationship.”

Elsewhere, the Blues No 1 referenced to his infamous fall-out with his manager Maurizio Sarri, which saw them publicly falling out during the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

Kepa was heavily criticised after refusing to be substituted during the Wembley showdown, with the former Atletico Bilbao goalkeeper admitting it was something he regretted doing.

“It has been several months now,” said Kepa. “It’s true, that was a bad week for me. Of course it was a day I’m not proud of.

“I said sorry to him and from then on our relationship has been very good, like it was before.

“I’ve kept his confidence, we’ve accomplished our targets and I think our season was very positive.

“It has been a step forward in my career in every sense [moving to Chelsea].

“I’ve had a lot of games, we accomplished our targets for the season and now, looking backwards, I think it has been a positive year.”