David De Gea has told ESPN he is now "really happy" at Manchester United and praised Louis van Gaal and the fans for helping him to reintegrate into the team.
De Gea, 25, was excluded from the United team at the start of the season amid transfer interest interest from Real Madrid, but the deal collapsed on the final day of the Spanish transfer window.
The Spain international then signed a new contract with United until 2019 and was brought back into the first team.
While persistent reports have claimed the deal includes a release clause that would allow him to move to Madrid in the future, De Gea told ESPN Deportes he is enjoying life at Old Trafford.
Speaking to the ESPN Deportes show "Fuera De Juego," he said: "I felt in that moment that to extend my contract was the best thing to do. I'm really happy now, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, where I feel loved by the fans.
"Nobody let me down or disappointed me -- these are things that happen. You must look forward, and I am very happy now.
"During the market anything can happen, it can all change inside a minute. Football is like that. There were difficult moments, strange moments, but they help you to mature. To be stronger."
De Gea has played a key role in United's run of good results, with the team conceding just once in their last six outings in the Premier League and Champions League.
The keeper said that he and his teammates look to bring Van Gaal's "aggression" and "attitude" out onto the pitch when they play.
He said: "From outside, you see a person with a lot of character, which is what he is.
"[He is] a hard and strong coach, but that is what we also try to transmit out on the pitch -- that aggression and that attitude the coach has. He is very methodical, and in the end things are going well for us."
Asked whether it was possible to be friends with someone with those characteristics, De Gea said: "In the end it is hard to be friends with any coach -- you have a lot of respect for him, but it is difficult to be their friend.
"But he is a good person. You can talk with him about anything you want, and face to face he is sincere. We have a normal relationship between a coach and player. We both want what is best for the club.
"From the first I day I came back, after all that happened, he gave me a lot of confidence, told me I would play, to relax and keep doing what I had done before. He is a joker, makes a lot of jokes. Now and again likes to do something so that there is a good mood. But we talk mostly about football."
De Gea also said the fans at Old Trafford had made him feel especially welcome when he returned in mid-September's 3-1 Premier League win over Liverpool.
"The first game I returned, after all that had happened, was impressive," he said. "The way Old Trafford received me, it made the hairs stand up. It's very difficult to describe what that day was like. I really appreciate it."