David de Gea ought to be regarded as a Manchester United icon when he retires.
In 543 appearances for the team, the 32-year-old custodian has 190 clean sheets and has won two League Cups, one FA Cup, one Europa League and one Premier League championship in 12 seasons.
De Gea’s Performance Review-
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, De Gea has frequently been called upon to save a number of fragile defences in front of him. He is the only player at the club to have received four Player of the Year accolades. The phrase “world class” may have varied meanings to different football fans, but throughout the previous ten years at United, many commentators concurred that De Gea was a rare instance of a United player operating at a rarefied level.
One of the best goalkeeping performances in league history was his 2017–18 Premier League campaign. When he made 14 stops away at Arsenal in December, De Gea established records for the most saves ever made in a single game. and his team ended the league season having only given up 28 goals, but having 39 anticipated goals.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 30: David De Gea of Manchester United looks on prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 30, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alastair Grant – Pool/Getty Images)
In that season, United came in second. They may have ended as low as sixth if De Gea had been replaced with a league-average custodian.
A goal scorer may convert glimmers into victories. If there was a custodian as good as De Gea in 2017–18, potential Europa League hopefuls would have finished in the top four. He kept United’s opponents scoreless in 18 games, earning him the Golden Glove award from the Premier League for maintaining the most clean sheets in a single season. He would be recognised as one of the top goalkeepers in the world going into the World Cup that summer.
Value of Reputation and Experience-
De Gea, who has already recorded 17 clean sheets in 2022–23, will receive another Golden Glove medal this year. He was seen very differently when he received his first honour, though, than he is now.
De Gea was Spain’s top custodian in the 2018 World Cup, but that competition marked the start of a steady slide that resulted in his exclusion from the team for the tournament in 2022. David de Gea was viewed by Luis Enrique as being inferior than Unai Simon, Robert Sanchez, and David Raya as a custodian. The last two represent teams lower on the league table than De Gea’s and compete in the same league. (For his personal goalkeeping needs, Roberto De Zerbi has removed Sanchez from Brighton’s starting XI.)
🚨 David de Gea accepted #mufc's offer on drastically-reduced terms, he then headed off for the summer break, told his team-mates he would see them again in July. However, the paperwork was never completed at the club’s end. [@DTathletic] pic.twitter.com/NB7yJk57wd
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) June 28, 2023
De Gea is the highest-paid custodian in the world and the highest-paid footballer from Spain according to his current United deal, which pays him £375,000 per week ($463,000). On June 30th, it runs out.
De Gea must first agree to a wage reduction if United wants to extend his contract with the team. Even after De Gea made a mistake that led to West Ham defeating United earlier this month, Erik ten Hag has made it clear that he wants to keep De Gea.
Considering a Trip or Holding the Ground?
But is it prudent to renew the contract of a goalkeeper who is ranked behind the goalkeepers for Brighton and Brentford and his country? Does De Gea’s Golden Glove win for 2022–2023 indicate that United has room to progress under Ten Hag?
Football’s goalkeeping position is the most difficult to assess since effective keepers combine extreme levels of mental and physical fortitude. A successful custodian must be more than simply a shot-blocker; they must also have the ability to organise their defensive unit through effective communication, as well as a variety of other qualities that are simple to identify but difficult to measure.
A custodian is occasionally a fighter, occasionally a mathematician, occasionally an orator, and occasionally a poker player. The punctuation at the conclusion of a phrase is like a nice save from the custodian.
Seven times out of a possible 19 since its inception in 2004-05, the Golden Glove has been awarded to the custodian on the team that won the championship. In 2021-22, Ederson and Alisson split the honour. Although every goalie aspires to keep a clean sheet, they are not necessarily a reliable indication of a goalkeeper’s ability. The De Gea who will receive the prize in 2022–2023 is not the same as the De Gea who was popular in 2017–18.
Goalie Remko Pasveer of Ajax stated of his previous boss, “For him, the goalkeeper is essential in the start of the build-up, even under the highest pressure.” Although Ten Hag may extol De Gea in public, he is aware of the flaws in his goalkeeper’s build-up and frequently assigns De Gea to kick long against opponents who can press well. It is not a good scenario for the United boss, and it will persist as long as De Gea is his starting custodian.
The Method of Making Decisions-
However, Ten Hag deserves praise for being able to strike a compromise between his long-term quest for inventiveness and the immediate needs of victory. In the future, if he can surround De Gea with the right defences, he may stick with De Gea in goal while giving his squad’s more urgent needs for improvements greater priority.
We described how De Gea had changed from a custodian who could mask United’s defense’s numerous shortcomings to a player who required his back line to do the same for him in late 2020. In a summer preseason, De Gea is unlikely to improve his footwork, although Lisandro Martinez’s presence may mask his problems controlling the ball.
Although De Gea may never be a sweeper-keeper or a cross-claimer, the requirement for the Spaniard to push up is lessened if Ten Hag wishes to invest transfer dollars in a different center-back or central midfielder in the summer. Since De Gea has a poor track record of saving penalties, it will be up to the players in front of him to avoid giving them away or allowing games in cup competitions to end in shootouts.
Concluding Thoughts-
One day, De Gea could play for a United squad that can provide him with everything he needs to achieve at his highest level. The custodian can be seen by the same squad as more of a liability than a strength. Still important is the goalkeeper’s environment.
Ultimately, David de Gea continues to be an excellent saver, thus for the time being, the overall picture of his United career is still favourable. He has once again shown his value in a strong season for United. Is it time to go out on top? Or evidence that he still has a lot to offer?
