Eric Steele’s David de Gea story shows why Man Utd’s transfer strategy pivot was much needed

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David de Gea is one of Manchester United’s greatest-ever goalkeepers, but his former coach at the club under Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Steele, has told a story about him which shows why Ineos’ transfer pivot was much needed.

Ineos are catching a lot of flak for many things at Man Utd, from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent political comments to the sporting mistakes on the pitch.

However, one area where they deserve credit is getting the recruitment right, or at least proving to be far better at it than the Glazers.

Their recent strategy pivot in the transfer market now makes sense after hearing Eric Steele talk about David de Gea’s starting days at Old Trafford.

Eric Steele reveals David de Gea’s reality in debut Man Utd season

It is an open secret that the De Gea who became the club’s Player of the Season four times in a row was far removed from the player who came to the club.

Arriving as a replacement for Edwin Van der Sar was a tall order in itself, and the Spaniard was not helped by the difference in playing style.

At Atletico Madrid, he had two marquee games every season – Barcelona and Real Madrid. At Man Utd, the culture shock was immense, as Eric Steele details in a recent Talk of the Devils podcast.

Steele said: “So in his first six months, he had to get to know the Premier League. If you think about it, the Spanish league, other than playing against Barcelona and Real Madrid, just those two were the biggest games.

“I remember going to West Ham and [De Gea] came to me and went, ‘Easy game’. I said, ‘Why?’ After ten minutes, he’s got stud marks [from his ankle to his knee]. At half-time, I remember David going, ‘No easy’.

“We had to educate him. The Premier League, it’s harsh. There are no easy games.”

Man Utd under Ineos understood transfer assignment

To De Gea’s credit, he eventually came through those growing pains and became one of the world’s best, but in an entirely different environment.

He had an experienced dressing room with leaders and the greatest manager of all time to guide him through his formative years.

The same can’t be said for the club right now, which is why Ineos pivoted to buying proven Premier League-level players last summer.

Senne Lammens has been a pleasant surprise, and Benjamin Sesko provides hope, but Man Utd would be nowhere this season without the contribution from Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Neither needed any adaptation period, as there are players who flew in the league for years before making the move to Man Utd.

When United return to a point where they have stability, a good dressing room, and success on the pitch, they can afford to take a gamble on a high-risk, high-reward player in the mold of De Gea.

Until then, the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo will have to lead the way. A broken car doesn’t need a rocket boost. It requires plug-and-play parts to get it working right away.