Former Red Devil and England international Gary Pallister believes that David de Gea will become a star at Manchester United and will stay the No. 1 goalkeeper at Old Trafford despite heavy competition from Danish international Anders Lindegaard.
Pallister, a former teammate of the “Great Dane” Peter Schmeichel, has insisted that even the great Peter Schmeichel started off shaky at Old Trafford.
“Schmeichel was the same when he first started out at Manchester United and he went on to be the best goalkeeper in the world.
“We played Wimbledon and Leeds in the first couple of games when Schmeichel first joined. They are both very direct and physical; big John Fashanu and Nick Chapman at either clubs.
“I let him know that what he should expect. He didn’t expect the challenges and he didn’t have the best of starts, it was a bit of a culture shock for him but he went on to become the best goalkeeper in the world.”
De Gea already looks to be settling down after a rough start between the sticks. The Spanish U-21 star is coming off his second clean-sheet with the Red Devils and will be keen on recording back-to-back clean-sheets for the first time in his United career. He may just need to hold Chelsea FC scoreless if United are to get three points at home versus the 2011-11 Premier League runner-ups.
Sir Alex Ferguson has announced that De Gea will start against Chelsea in United’s fifth English Premier League match of the season. When asked about why Sir Alex gave Anders Linegaard the start against SL Benfica in Portugal, Pallister gave his knowledgable opinion on the matter:
“He wants to give Lindegaard a game but I’m sure Sir Alex still sees De Gea as his No. 1.
“Yes, he has made some high profile mistakes but the confidence in him is still there as he gets used to the physicality of the Premier League.
“I mean he did the same thing last year with Van der Sar. You got to give people the opportunities as you can’t expect players to sit in the reserves all year without any chances.
“He wants to give Ben Amos a game as well.”
As for De Gea’s future with United, only time will tell if the goalkeeper will become a star for the Reds. Despite the criticism he has received from football experts around the globe, the Spaniard still remains unbeaten in competitive matches for Manchester United. United supporters will surely be “knocking on wood” after I publicized that statement. But the fact is that De Gea must be given time to adapt to the English game. The expectations are sky high for the young keeper and he must remain focused on improving his game and fitness throughout the season.
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