Man Utd urged to loan Dean Henderson out next season – and keep faith in David de Gea
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich believes David de Gea is still the right man between the sticks for the Red Devils, despite a recent blip in form.
De Gea, who was once widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world, has struggled of late and received criticism for his performances.
The rise (and fall?) of David de Gea: Five things to know…
- De Gea joined United from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011.
- After a slow start, he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
- He was Man Utd’s POTY three years in a row (the first player to do so)…
- …as well as being included in five PFA TOTYs and the FIFA FIFPRo World XI in 2018.
- However, the Spaniard has made seven errors leading to goals in the last two Premier League seasons — no one has made more.
It would have been inconceivable a few years ago that some would now be saying that De Gea is no longer worthy of United’s No. 1 shirt, but that is precisely what is happening now.
Some high-profile errors have led many to believe that the 29-year-old should be moved on from Old Trafford, with potential suitors in Europe still interested in acquiring his services.
The form of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who is on loan at Sheffield United, has led to calls for him to replace De Gea in the United starting line-up. Henderson currently sits in seventh with the Blades, just two places and two points below the Red Devils.
However, Bosnich, who had two spells in Manchester during his playing days, believes that De Gea is still the best option for the club going forward.
Speaking to Goal, he said: “Henderson has done absolutely fantastic and proven himself to be an excellent goalkeeper.
“The bottom line is though that De Gea has done brilliantly over a longer period of time, he has had ups and downs but every goalkeeper does, there’s no doubt about that. When you are at a bigger club it is far more exacerbated.
“At this moment in time, I would stick with De Gea. Dean Henderson is too good for the bench and it is a waste for him so I would keep loaning him out.
“Things can change very quickly. De Gea has had ups and downs but over a long period of time, he has been excellent. Unless they get ridiculous money for him, then I would keep him on.”
“Give Solskjaer time”
Before the indefinite postponement of football, United had started to rediscover the form which earned manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the job on a permanent basis.
They were unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions and had climbed to fifth in the Premier League table, easing some of the pressure on the previously under-fire Norweigan.
Much like De Gea, Bosnich believes the club should stick with their former striker, adding: “Give it time, he will get it right.
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“We have seen the signs of that and he will get it right. So far so good, I don’t know if they will get into the top four but if they do I regard it as a really top season for them. It is going to take time for them.
“We saw what happened to Liverpool after their dynasty ended and it took them a really long time to get to the top of English and European football. It will take time with Man Utd and they are vying for a top-four place, maybe third with Leicester but they look good to qualify, the way they are playing with Brendan Rodgers.
“Overall, I think he has done a very good job with the chips in the air again. It will be interesting to see how they finish it but they have got the right man and he is doing a good job.”
