Manchester United legend, Gary Neville, believes David De Gea will not fit into the style of play of the Erik Ten Hag who prefers to play from the back.
Nevile believes that Ten Hag will not change his football philosophy of playing out from the back, through midfield, and taking those little risky passes that goalkeepers such as Manchester City’s Ederson do all the time
“The goalkeeper needs to be brilliant on the ball and I suspect that with David de Gea, his career at Manchester United is probably going to be short-lived under Erik ten Hag,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
Read Also: Gusau Promises To Focus On Players’ Welfare, Run Inclusive Administration
“Because he’s going to be absolutely adamant that his philosophy of playing out from the back, playing through midfield, playing those little risky passes that we see City and Ederson do all the time – that we no longer see as risky because they do it so well – is something that I think he’s striving for and wants to get to.”
Style of play
Regarded as a highly promising prospect in his youth, De Gea soon developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world, with some in the sport even labelling him as the current best keeper in the world. De Gea grew up playing futsal as an outfield player until the age of 14, which has helped with his footwork; he has also incorporated various futsal goalkeeping techniques in his play style which shows in his ability to make athletic saves with his feet.
His unorthodox, yet effective, goalkeeping style of making saves with his feet accredited with changing goalkeeping. An elegant and athletic keeper, De Gea is known in particular for his outstanding reflexes, agility, and shot-stopping ability between the posts, as well as his penchant for saving the ball with his feet, which enable him to produce acrobatic dives and spectacular saves.
