Manchester United goalkeeper, David de Gea, continues to receive support after his blunder caused the defeat for the Red Devils. It happened recently when they traveled to West Ham headquarters on Sunday (7/5/2023) local time.
David de Gea made a mistake when trying to ward off West Ham striker Said Benrahma’s long-range shot in the first half of the Premier League match at the London Stadium. The goalkeeper’s hand hit the ball but he was powerless to prevent it from getting into the net. Benrahma’s shot, which De Gea failed to parry properly, was the only goal in the match. Hence, Man United lost which sum up to two defeats in a row.
Previously, Man United also lost 0-1 when they visited Brighton headquarters. De Gea has now made four mistakes in all competitions that have led to a goal. This is the highest figure for a goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Related to this, De Gea is fortunate that he still has the support of important figures in the Red Devils camp now. “We conceded an unlucky goal and lost,” said captain Bruno Fernandes on BT Sports. “I have to see it again but we don’t have to focus there (De Gea’s mistake). He has saved us a lot, so he should not be blamed for this result.”
For Fernandes, defeat came because the team lacked sharpness in front of goal. Bruno and several other players such as Marcus Rashford and Antony failed to record shots on target even though they were in a good position.
Man United only recorded one shot on target with 70 minutes gone, through Wout Weghorst. “This is probably our worst season in terms of scoring goals,” Fernandes said again. “We have people who can score goals but don’t take chances in front of goal.”
Meanwhile, coach Ten Hag expressed similar support for the goalkeeper. “He has the most clean sheets in the Premier League,” he said. “We wouldn’t be in this position without him. He has my full trust, no problem. Things like that happen but we as a team have to deal with it. You have to show character, be tough and come back again. This team can do that.”
De Gea himself will be out of contract at the end of this season. However, he is in the midst of negotiating an extension of the working bond with the club. Negotiations are rumored to have been going on since last year. He was also included in the long-term agenda of the Red Devils. “We want him to stay and we want to extend his contract,” said Ten Hag when asked about the goalkeeper’s future.
