An impressive statistic has emerged that shows why Mike Maignan could be David De Gea’s ideal successor at Manchester United.
United’s number one has come under a lot of scrutiny as of late. His performance against Sevilla in the Europa League was the last straw for many fans, who now want a new keeper between the sticks at Old Trafford.
A potential successor to the Spaniard has to be AC Milan’s Mike Maignan. He’s been astounding this year in Serie A, following up his success from last season.
A statistic has emerged that suggests he would be great as a De Gea alternative.
Mike Maignan is fantastic at saving penalties
Maignan has proven to be a top shot-stopper and competent with his feet, but this statistic about his penalty-saving abilities showcases why he could be De Gea’s ideal replacement.
After his penalty save in the Champions League against Napoli, Maignan has now saved 14 of the 45 penalties he’s faced in his career.
In contrast, excluding the shootout penalties – De Gea has faced 72 career spot kicks.
De Gea has saved 13 of them for club and country, which is just 18%. Not a great save percentage at all.
The last time De Gea saved a penalty was in the Premier League against Watford during the 2021-22 season, when he denied Ismaila Sarr from 12 yards.
De Gea also failed to make a single save in the shootout against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final. However, United did thankfully advance.
This seems to be a recurring story for the Spaniard. It’s a big deal for United if they want to be regarded as serious contenders for knockout tournaments.
Maignan not only possesses fantastic goalkeeping qualities, but his phenomenal spot-kick record would also give the Red Devils the edge in these cutthroat situations.
‘Magic Mike’ would be hard to pry away from Milan. However, he’d certainly be a worthy investment for Erik ten Hag.
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