De Gea v Henderson: Who´s the future of Man Utd after Wembley nightmare?

David de Gea is no stranger to scrutiny at Old Trafford.

There were serious concerns over De Gea when he was lured to Manchester United by former boss Alex Ferguson as a lean 20-year-old goalkeeper in 2011.

De Gea, though, answered questions about his physique – the Spaniard repaying Ferguson’s faith and going on to win a Premier League title, as well as FA Cup, Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield silverware.

He cemented himself as one of the world’s best keepers. However, those concerns have emerged again and they are growing louder following his horror show in Sunday’s 3-1 FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea.

It was a Wembley nightmare for De Gea, who was unable to keep out Olivier Giroud’s effort in the final minute of first-half stoppage time.

Full-time at Wembley. #MUFC #FACup

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 19, 2020

Trailing 1-0 upon the start of the second half, De Gea had nowhere to hide when a speculative long-range strike from Mason Mount went past the Spaniard with embarrassing ease.

De Gea’s errors led to United’s unbeaten streak ending at 19 matches, and with it, a date against Arsenal in the FA Cup showpiece.

As the errors occur more frequently, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a goalkeeping conundrum. Unlike previous seasons, De Gea has serious competition in the form of Dean Henderson – who is excelling on loan at Sheffield United in England’s top flight.

England youth international Henderson is widely viewed as the future of United, but the 23-year-old is reportedly unwilling to return to Manchester next season unless he is the number one.

So, Solskjaer has a decision to make. Stick with De Gea – who signed a new and lucrative deal until at least June 2023 in September – or turn to Henderson?

Using Opta stats, we compare the form of De Gea and counterpart Henderson in the Premier League this season.

Games played
De Gea: 36
Henderson: 34

Shots Faced (inc. blocks)
De Gea: 364
Henderson: 387

Goals Conceded
De Gea: 35
Henderson: 29

Clean Sheets
De Gea: 12
Henderson: 13

Saves
De Gea: 91
Henderson: 95

Saves (from inside the box)
De Gea: 53
Henderson: 59

Saves (from outside the box)
De Gea: 38
Henderson: 34

Save Percentage
De Gea: 72.2
Henderson: 76.2

Clearances (inc. Punches)
De Gea: 16
Henderson: 26

Goals Conceded (in box)
De Gea: 31
Henderson: 27

Goals Conceded (out box)
De Gea: 4
Henderson: 2

Errors Leading to Goals
De Gea: 3
Henderson: 1

Errors Leading to Shots (inc. goals)
De Gea: 4
Henderson: 1

Drops
De Gea: 1
Henderson: 4