As a Manchester United goalkeeper, David de Gea is always in the spotlight. Up until the summer of 2018, he received much praise, and was considered by many as the best goalkeeper in the word. However, a 2018 World Cup filled with uncharacteristic mistakes shattered his confidence, and he returned to United a shadow of his former self. The keeper has made many errors leading to goals since then, but the way he played after lockdown, and how he has started this campaign, shows that the Spaniard could have returned to his best.
David de Gea: World Class Once Again
Regaining Confidence
De Gea’s poor form between over the past two years can be put down to a lack of confidence. There is no question that the keeper still had his elite talent, but the mistakes he made were clearly those of a player without a great deal of self-belief.
While he still made errors, David de Gea’s post-lockdown form last season showed real promise. He pulled off some world class saves, and showed everyone that he was still a fantastic player. These good performances went hand in hand with a fantastic run of form from the Red Devils, which saw them finish third after a rocky start to the Premier League season, and his nine clean sheets in the last fourteen league games of 2019/20 certainly played a large part in the positive results.
Quality Goalkeeping This Season
This season, the Spanish shot-stopper has stepped up his game once again.
The Red Devils’ most recent match, a Champions League group stage fixture against RB Leipzig, saw him make a world-class reflex save to an Ibrahima Konaté header when the game was tight at 1-0. United went on to smash the Bundesliga leaders 5-0, but without that De Gea save it could have been a very different story.
That is one of the many times where his fantastic ability has been the saviour of United recently, and this time it has come without the expense of mistakes.
What Caused the Up-turn in Form for David de Gea?
While there are many reasons why a player’s form may turn around, the most likely cause of De Gea’s improvement is the return of Dean Henderson from a successful two-year loan spell with Sheffield United. The young Englishman impressed everyone, playing a vital part in the Blades’ first season back in the Premier League.
He returned for the start of this season, however, providing De Gea with more competition than ever for first choice in goal.
Knowing this, the Spaniard has stepped up his game to show everyone that he is still a world-class keeper.
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