Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was imperious in goal for the Red Devils on Sunday against West Ham.
De Gea made a string of remarkable saves especially in the dying minutes of the game to ensure United got all three points in a hard-fought 1-0 win against the Hammers.
#DeGea’s 2 saves at the end were truly match winning moments!
Our model at https://t.co/MZcBzSYSZ7 finds the header is only expected to be saved 46% of the time!#DeGea has always been a master at saving headers due to his exceptional footwork & ability to change gaze!#MUFC pic.twitter.com/yaq3Z6UvWX
— John Harrison (@Jhdharrison1) October 30, 2022
The Spaniard’s heroics on Sunday served to re-ignite a debate amongst supporters and the media on why the shot-stopper did not feature in Luis Enrique’s Spanish NationalTeam 55-man preliminary list.
A reminder… Luis Enrique thinks there are five better Spanish keepers than David de Gea 👀 pic.twitter.com/AMWyr9fYyP
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) October 30, 2022
De Gea was snubbed, with Enrique favouring five other goalkeepers ahead of him including Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga, Brighton’s David Sanchez and Brentford’s David Raya.
De Gea’s national team snub follows his significantly reduced role in the Euros, where he barely had a sniff in goal for La Furia Roja.
While many fans have been left astounded by Enrique’s decision, according to Diario AS, the snub did not come as a surprise to the 31-year-old.
AS reports, “The Spanish goalkeeper knew for months before the pre-list that he did not count for Luis Enrique.”
“Not even his brilliant start with United in this new campaign has served to change the coach’s plans.”
“That is why within United, where he does have great support, many ask themselves the same question: what else can he do to go with the National Team?”
De Gea has one year remaining on his current deal with the Red Devils and like in Spain under Enrique, there are massive doubts about his ability to fit into an Erik ten Hag system.
The goalkeeper is not the best with his feet and at sweeping action – although he has recently shown glimpses of improvement in this regard.
De Gea’s situation is not helped by the fact that United are reportedly an interested party in Porto’s Diogo Costa who is seen as a long-term successor at Old Trafford.
It will be interesting to see how much De Gea develops as the season progresses and what final decision the club comes to with respect to his future.
