Dean Henderson’s recent impressive Europa League performances have stirred up the debate over Manchester United’s goalkeeping situation.
It would have come as little surprise if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally took the plunge and selected Henderson in goal this weekend.
So it was great to see David de Gea fight his corner and produce a strong performance in goal as Manchester United drew away to Chelsea.
There was one outstanding save in particular from De Gea to deny Hakim Ziyech in the second half.
Ziyech’s shot wrong footed De Gea, who was moving across to cover the left side of his goal.
He was still able to reach out a hand to firmly block the Moroccan’s goalbound effort. Luke Shaw followed this up with a key block to deny another Chelsea goalscoring chance.
This was De Gea at his best, showing he is still capable of big moments in key matches.
One of the underrated aspects of United’s games against the ‘Big Six’ this season is how well De Gea has played in goal in these matches.
There is rightly a lot of attention on United’s attack and an inability to score goals. At the other end of the pitch, De Gea has been excellent in these matches.
The debate regarding Henderson and De Gea will rage on. It’s fuelled by the risk of losing Henderson, who is seven years younger, homegrown, and on a third of the Spaniard’s wages.
What happens between now and the end of the season will shape United’s plans heading into the summer. De Gea helped his cause no doubt with his display at Stamford Bridge.
Competition could be bringing out the best of both players, and this was a game where you just had to applaud his contribution.
Reaction
Here is a look at how United supporters reacted to De Gea’s performance…
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- Glazer family members consider Manchester United stake sale, claim Bloomberg
- Forget Fernando Torres, Nemanja Vidic now names three ‘more difficult’ opponents he faced at Man Utd
- Andy Cole reacts as Michael Carrick set to make his first signing for Man Utd
- Michael Carrick is showing what Man Utd ‘stands for’ with one commitment to role, says Timothy Fosu-Mensah
- Man Utd academy star James Scanlon scores brace in 4-0 Gibraltar win
- Morgan Rogers explains the ‘great’ help he got from Michael Carrick as Man Utd explore deal
- Ederson has already shared his stance on Premier League move ahead of Man Utd transfer
- Romelu Lukaku says he has one regret about Man Utd spell that he still finds so painful
- Manchester United named best away support in English football by rival fans
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