Any mistake you make, as a goalkeeper, will always be magnified. We know that, but what we’re seeing from David de Gea at the minute are basic, schoolboy errors.
They are errors that someone on his wage and at his level simply should not be making – and it’s not for the first time, too.
If you go and look at the season, there has been several absolutely horrendous mistakes that just shouldn’t be happening.
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When you make mistakes like that, you have to come out in the next couple of games and stand up and be counted – to nullify that criticism – but it seems like he isn’t capable of doing that at the moment.
You need to prove you’re the number one goalkeeper. He made a couple of decent saves yesterday against Chelsea, but the fact is, in big games you expect that.
In those big games, the best keepers in the world aren’t making mistakes to begin with.
Complacency is the issue
My feeling is that De Gea doesn’t have enough, or any, competition. He is totally complacent.
Sergio Romero only plays once in a blue moon. But, Dean Henderson is waiting in the wings, and the manager needs to create a bit of a challenge and competition at the club.
Right now, De Gea knows there’s no challenger to him and that he will be the first name on the team sheet.
He’s playing like someone who knows that too.
As a player, if you think you’re going to play every game, it leads to complacency. The situation we’re in at the minute is he keeps making terrible mistakes and keeps getting picked, so you can’t really blame him for not learning.
It’s no different between the competition in other areas of the pitch, or it shouldn’t be. That’s not to say he’s not still a top goalkeeper, because he is, and he’s saved United from plenty of scrapes in the last few years.
But, he has to nullify these mistakes or he risks people forgetting just how good he is, and he risks dragging United down with him.
Bring in Dean Henderson
I see a lot of people suggesting Romero should come straight in for him now, but I disagree. I can’t see that he has the sharpness and fitness that is needed, because he’s been so long without playing a game.
For me, Dean Henderson would be the answer. He’s playing well, getting game time and it’s something which Ole needs to look at.
He needs to give De Gea that challenge and drive, and this lad could be the answer.
Henderson’s got the hunger and desire to get into that top spot at United, too. While maybe it’s a case of De Gea signing the massive contract he did, and he thinks his job is done – he’s lost a bit of that hunger.
He needs to come out now, fighting, and show us what an incredible keeper we all know he is.
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