A few years ago, Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea was classed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and was certainly viewed as being the best shot-stopper in the Premier League.

The goalie’s future has been up in the air in the last few years, with the Manchester United man being continually linked with a move away from Old Trafford.

As contract talks with the Red Devils continued to stall, David’s form took a dip last term. Mistakes crept into his game and suddenly Alisson and Ederson were more consistent Premier League keepers.

It seemed like the contract situation was playing on his mind. Up until last year, De Gea was United most consistent player since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013. He was a truly world class player and won United’s player of the year award in four of his eight seasons as a Man United player.

Since August 2011, no goalkeeper in the Premier League has kept more clean-sheets than De Gea’s 102.

Today United announced that they had finally tied the Spanish international keeper to a new deal that will keep him at the club until at least 2023 (Source ManUtd.com).

It’s believed that the new contract will make the twenty-eight year old the highest paid goalkeeper in the world.

That means he needs to get back to his very best and earn his big bucks!

Hopefully he’s now fully committed to the cause and has no more distractions to hinder his performances.

Another big plus for him is that his manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has strengthened the United defence during the summer.

The arrival of Harry Maguire has meant that De Gea has more protection playing in front of him. The England international has already shown in United’s league wins over Chelsea and Leicester City that he’ll get his head onto every ball into Man United’s penalty area. He also looks very comfortable with the ball at his feet and has struck up a fine partnership with fellow centre-back Victor Lindelof.

Having a reliable duo playing in front of him, will give De Gea more confidence that his defence can help him out this season.

Against the Foxes at the weekend, the centre-backs had a good game and whenever they were breached David was on hand to save any shots that got through. That allowed the whole defence to claim their second clean-sheet of the campaign (BBC Match Report).

United also have a new right-back in Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The former Crystal Palace man works hard defensively and crucially he also has the pace needed to get back at his marker or help the centre-back pairing if they slip up.

After a shaky start at Old Trafford eight years ago, De Gea worked on his game and also bulked himself up to withstand the rigours that comes by playing in England. He is a tremendous shot-stopper, is terrific at blocking efforts with his feet and legs and his concentration levels (save last season) have been top notch.

The former Premier League golden glove winner has stated that he wants to bring glory back to Old Trafford:

“As one of the senior players in the squad, I want to support and lead in any way that I can to assist the younger players, so they know what it means to play here. I still feel that I have so much more to achieve at the club and I truly believe that Manchester United can build on the club’s tradition of success and reward our fans for their support.”

ManUtd.com

For that to happen then David de Gea needs to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world again and once again show that he can win points for his team, especially in the games that really matter!

Posted on September 16th, 2019 by scott
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