It wasn’t that long ago that David de Gea was admired by every Manchester United supporter, with the Spaniard continuing to shine amid the difficulties in the post-Ferguson era.He won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in four out of five seasons and remained a world-class talent as Man United staggered through mediocrity.But such high praise can no longer be attributed to the Spaniard, who has suffered a catastrophic decline in the past few years.De Gea made two mistakes in United’s 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Chelsea, costing the Red Devils a place in the final.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urged the media and fans to “move on” at full-time, but that’s easier said than done when De Gea has made a catalogue of mistakes lately.
United supporters are now keen to see Dean Henderson take over as the club’s No.1 next season and at this point, De Gea might have forced Solskjaer’s hand.Many believe his decline can be traced back to the 2018 World Cup, in which the goalkeeper made just one save for Spain and conceded six times from seven shots on target.However, we’re taking it back a few months earlier as we explore a timeline of De Gea’s fall from grace.March 14, 2018 | Man United 1-2 SevillaYes, De Gea’s decline started three months before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat-trick against Spain in Russia.Man United were knocked out of the Champions League by Sevilla’s Wissam Ben Yedder, who came off the bench to score two goals in the space of four minutes.The second goal was a De Gea clanger. He tried scooping Ben Yedder’s header over the bar but proceeded to palm it straight into his own net.
And so it began….
June 15, 2018 | Portugal 3-3 Spain
‘Cristiano Ronaldo broke De Gea’, they claim.
They may have a point, too.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Sochi two years ago, including THAT free-kick in the 88th minute to make it 3-3.
His second goal came after his shot squirmed past De Gea and it was a night to forget for the Spain ‘keeper.
December 5, 2018 | Man United 2-2 Arsenal
De Gea would have been keen to put a miserable World Cup behind him but the mistakes continued.
He failed to hold on to a header from Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi and was helpless to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
De Gea’s indecisiveness left him unsure how to deal with the header. It was unusual to see from a goalkeeper with such good reflexes.
March 10, 2019 | Arsenal 2-0 Man United
The spring of 2019 was a difficult period for De Gea as he made mistakes in four high-profile matches.
The first of those came in Man United’s return fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
He was completely fooled by a long-range effort from Granit Xhaka. The ball swerved all over the place but De Gea didn’t read the situation well at all.
April 16, 2019 | Barcelona 3-0 Man United
If ever Lionel Messi is going to shoot, goalkeepers would prefer for it to be with his weaker right foot and from outside the area.
That’s the scenario De Gea was faced with in the Champions League last year - and he still allowed Messi’s effort to squirm through him.
Trustworthy ‘keepers don’t make mistakes like this.
April 24, 2019 | Man United 0-2 Man City
At this point, De Gea had lost his status as a world-class ‘keeper.
And he was made to look very average in United’s 2-0 defeat to rivals City last year.
Bereft of confidence, he let drives from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane past him as he helped City on their way to the title.
April 28, 2019 | Man United 1-1 Chelsea
Just four days after losing the Manchester derby, Man United came up against Chelsea knowing that they could revive their top four hopes with a win.
The match started well, with Juan Mata scoring against his old side to give the Red Devils the lead.
But moments before half-time, De Gea let Chelsea back into the game with costly mistake.
He fumbled Antonio Rudiger’s 30-yard attempt right into the path of Marcos Alonso, who steered the ball home to make it 1-1.
December 22, 2019 | Watford 2-0 Man United
There was no Christmas cheer for De Gea as he allowed Watford to claim just their second win of the season with a nightmare moment.
Quite how Ismaila Sarr’s shot bounced through his hands still isn’t clear.
It was at this point that the calls for Henderson to replace De Gea at Old Trafford really began to pick up steam.
March 1, 2020 | Everton 1-1 Man United
Dominic Calvert-Lewin will never score an easier goal.
Did De Gea simply not notice the Everton striker closing in as he prepared to clear the ball?
This was simply a lapse in concentration that wouldn’t have occurred at his peak.
June 19, 2020 | Tottenham 1-1 Man United
The error that prompted Roy Keane’s stunning half-time rant.
“I’m sick to death of this goalkeeper, I’d be fighting him at half-time, there’s no getting away from that, I would be swinging punches at that guy,” the former Man United midfielder said on Sky Sports after De Gea conceded against Spurs.
It was Man United’s first game back since the Premier League was called to a halt. De Gea would have been eager to finish the season strongly but it took less than 30 minutes for him to make a mistake as he failed to get a strong hand to Steven Bergwijn’s strike.
Just two days before this, Henderson sent a reminder to United of his abilities with this fine stop for Sheffield United against Aston Villa.
July 19, 2020 | Man United 1-3 Chelsea
Solskjaer leapt to De Gea’s defence following his performance against Spurs, brazenly claiming he’s still the best goalkeeper in the world.
There can be no way he genuinely believes that now.
De Gea was responsible for Chelsea’s first two goals in their FA Cup semi-final, with Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount profiting from his mistakes.
There has to be a competition to be United’s No.1 goalkeeper next season.
De Gea can no longer be trusted and Solskjaer will be putting his team’s chances of success at risk if the Spaniard’s position is unchallenged.
Henderson’s return could be good for the 29-year-old. It could provide the spark De Gea needs to get back to the level he reached between 2014 and 2018, when he was arguably the world’s best ‘keeper.
Right now he’s a shadow of his former self and something needs to change.