Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville has slammed David De Gea’s recent performances for the club.
Neville was referring to the Spaniard’s below-par display against Tottenham earlier. De Gea let in an unacceptable goal against the Londoners, and the former Manchester United star has warned him that he needs to cut out these errors or his starting berth could be in danger.
On-loan Manchester United keeper Dean Henderson has had a fantastic season with Sheffield United so far, and he has the quality to push De Gea for the starting berth next season.
It will be interesting to see if De Gea can improve on his recent displays. The Spaniard used to be a world-class player, but his levels have dropped over the past year.
Neville claims that De Gea has not been the same since the 2018 World Cup. The poor performances for the national team have affected him mentally, and the Spaniard needs to go back to his basics and resurrect his career.
De Gea has been booed by the Spanish national team fans as well for his error-prone displays.
Neville said: “He was the one player United could rely upon for the last four years, but he’s not the same. He hasn’t been the same for some time. When form drops for six months, it’s a blip, but when it goes on for a year, you start to worry. When it goes over two years, it becomes more permanent. That is now a fair representation of what De Gea is as he’s making lots of mistakes. Ones he would never make – he was always somebody you could completely rely upon. It can only be a confidence thing. The arms, legs and body are the same – it’s got to be the mind.
“The reception he’s got in Spain has affected him. He’s even been booed by Spanish fans when he’s wearing the Spanish shirt. In the World Cup in 2018 he really struggled, and from that, he’s doubted himself. Mentally he’s not quite the same.”
“He’s got to go back to basics. There’s only one thing you can do when you’re having a tough time: work. Work harder than you have ever done in your life.”
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