Yes, it has not been a great year for David Moyes’ Manchester United but it has for David De Gea. How many times this season has the man between the posts been the saviour of a poor or average United side? We only have to look back to a few weeks ago when the Red Devils played Olympiakos in the Last 16 of the Champions League. The Premier League side were 1-0 up and a Robin Van Persie hat-trick overshadowed a magnificent De Gea double save which kept the Old Trafford in the tie.
It comes as a surprise to everyone that a player of De Gea’s calibre has never won a cap for his national team. It could be said that he has been born in the wrong generation as a Spanish goalkeeper, facing competition with goalkeepers of the strength of Iker Casillas and Victor Valdes which for a long time have been the stars of their Champions League winning sides. Considered by most to be the next Casillas it was De Gea’s lack of experience and consistency which have kept him out of La Roja for so long. But with the youngster’s impressive progress, especially throughout this season, could he finally sneak into the squad?
It is no secret to anyone that United’s defence and form this season has been far from their best but the ex-Atletico Madrid man has kept an impressive total of 16 clean sheets in all competitions. This compares to the 15 of Diego Lopez this season – another player who is knocking at Del Bosque’s door. However the back four of both teams have to also be considered and the fact that you have Sergio Ramos instead of Chris Smalling in front of you makes your job under the woodwork a hell of a lot easier.
However it is the consistency of De Gea which could help him beat Lopez into the squad as Lopez has been largely criticised by many as he sometimes makes small errors which cost Real Madrid matches like his errors against Sevilla which might have potentially cost los Blancos the La Liga title.
It cannot be denied that De Gea’s progress has made him one of the best keepers in the game, with every area of his game improving since he has come to United from his reflexes to his ability in the air. Furthermore we are now more used to seeing a brilliant De Gea save than a costly De Gea mistake. He definitely has the ability to be in the squad but now it is up to Vicente Del Bosque on whether he picks him or not.
