Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has came out in defence of his under-fire keeper David de Gea.
The Scot insisted that the Spaniard will be a success at the club given time.
De Gea has made a shaky start to his United career and it’s led to doubts over whether he will be a success at Old Trafford.
Return
The Spanish youngster missed the midweek game with Stoke through a minor injury. His deputy Ben Amos managed to keep a clean sheet and had a decent game. However with the Red Devils facing a big trip to Chelsea this weekend Sir Alex Ferguson has a big decision.
United are without Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard who is on the treatment table. That means that Ferguson will have to decide whether to stick with Amos or recall De Gea.
Backing
The veteran boss backed the young Spaniard by telling Sky Sports: “The boy has got a great talent. He has made two or three mistakes but it two or three years’ time we won’t be discussing that at all because he will have matured. Then he will be realising his potential.”
Ferguson brought the keeper in from Atletico Madrid in the summer for £18million, so I suppose he has to back his own judgment. De Gea was very highly-rated before he moved to England and was also being linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Young
At 21 years of age David de Gea is very young to be a first choice keeper at one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Big clubs usually go for experienced keepers between the sticks. The United boss has never been a fan of signing young keepers but believed that he had to act quickly to secure the youngsters signature.
Keepers get better with experience and the Spaniard currently lacks experience at the top level. He will only learn from his mistakes. Unfortunately though every mistake he makes will raise questions over his ability to play for a club like Manchester United.
Competition
At Manchester United he faces competition for his place from Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard. The 27 year-old has been preferred to the young Spaniard at times and has been used to take the pressure off De Gea when he has came under-fire.
Lindegaard has always looked solid when he has played and it seems that the Dane is well liked at the club. However with Lindegaard at the club De Gea isn’t guaranteed first team football and maybe that’s what he needs to become a top Premier League keeper.
Talented
David de Gea is undoubtedly a talented young keeper, as Fergie stated. However I think the move to Manchester United may have came too soon for the youngster. If the youngster continues to have a poor time at Old Trafford it could permanently effect his confidence and his career could suffer.
Physical
One of the main problems David de Gea has had since moving to United is the fact he seems to find the Premier League too physical. He isn’t the biggest guy in the world and I’m sure the United backroom staff will be encouraging him to build himself up.
Time
At the end of last season when United were being linked with a move for De Gea I thought he would be a great signing for the Champions. I still think he could be the right man for Manchester United but it’s going to take time for him to become accustomed to the Premier League.
Will David de Gea prove to be a successful at Old Trafford?
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