Solskjaer backs De Gea

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains steadfast in his support of David De Gea despite another high-profile mistake. The Spaniard was culpable for Chelsea’s leveller in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, parrying a long-range Antonio Rudiger shot which let Marcos Alonso steal in and score, cancelling out Juan Mata’s opener on his 31st birthday.

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De Gea made a fine save from Gonzalo Higuain in the dying seconds but the major talking point was his latest blunder, following on from mistakes against Manchester City in midweek and Barcelona earlier this month. United’s hopes of a top-four Premier League finish are out of their hands with this result though Solskjaer, who publicly backed De Gea before this weekend, was loathe to place too much blame on his custodian.

Solskajer said: “He’s been in the spotlight for the right reasons for so long, now he’s going through a period where he probably feels he could have done better. “I don’t have any worries about him because he’s a strong character. “Of course I’ll sit down and speak to David as I’ve done when he’s played well. But he’s not the reason why we’re in the sixth position at the moment.

“You cannot say there is any complacency, David is not the type to sit down and be complacent. He is a competitor and he wants to be the best. “David knows he could have done better with the goal, there’s no reason to hide that, but there’s no chance any of us will point fingers because he’s saved us so many times.”