David De Gea Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has still refused to say if David de Gea is the outright number one at Manchester United. De Gea has enjoyed a superb start to the season, making decisive saves at Southampton, Wolves and West Ham to secure seven points and extend United’s unbeaten Premier League away record to 29 games. Dean Henderson had been informed he was set to start the season for United but the 24-year-old contracted Covid-19 in mid-July and De Gea has capitalised on the absence of his competitor. Although De Gea, 30, is widely viewed as the number one again, Solskjaer dodged the question of whether the Spaniard was the ‘out-and-out first choice’ and reiterated it was not down to him to keep United’s goalkeepers happy.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “I’ve said it a few times: it’s not my job to keep the players happy, it’s just as much as it’s their job to keep me happy. That’s how they conduct themselves, how they play, how they train. Unfortunately for Dean, with Covid and the after-effects of Covid, it has made it a longer run-in before he can start his season. I thought he was brilliant against West Ham and he still feels the effects of that one, of course, after having played the game, so he’s building up to full fitness and form again. Tom [Heaton] has been brilliant. As I’ve said a few times, David has come back with extra grit, bite between his teeth, bright-eyed and wanting to work. Long may it continue that he continues to perform the way he does. It’s about performing, we’re here to win games. I’ve seen [De Gea] grow from the first day when he came in early and I think you can look at the Wolverhampton one, which was a massive double save, but then Southampton before that when [Adam] Armstrong is one-on-one against him and he stands up tall and makes it hard for the boy to find the corners. David has had a very good start to the season, he’s focused, he’s happy with his work-rate and that’s probably key to it, the work he’s put on the training ground that gives us performances, he’s stronger.”
