Rough start but De Gea is not Taibi in disguise
De Gea, a spindly presence between the sticks, looks fragile — not just from aerial assault, which West Brom subjected him to on his league debut — but also in stature.
Alex Ferguson claims the 20-year-old needs to bulk up and if he wants to survive the clatter you first, ask questions later nature of Premier League football, a demand that must be met.
But criticism of De Gea, and the ludicrous comparison with Massimo Taibi — one of many goalkeeping mistakes Ferguson has made in selecting heirs to Peter Schmeichel — is excessive.
Due to his age, £18 million transfer fee and the team he plays for, it is obvious he will come under much more scrutiny than, say, if he played for Wigan — a team he almost joined in 2009.
To cast De Gea a failure after 90 minutes of Premier League football is reactionary in the extreme.
Knee-jerk assumptions have been made from all sides. Some fans have yearned for Manuel Neuer, a more experienced option but one that was never realistic considering he only had eyes for Bayern Munich this summer.
Neuer, incidentally, has endured a similarly trying start to life at a new club.
He was culpable for Borussia Monchengladbach’s winner on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern, which proves that even the more experienced goalkeepers can still suffer.
Back page headlines have screamed ‘calamity keeper’ and ‘flop’ but it is far too early to tell whether they are accurate assumptions or just scaremongering.
Taibi was named man of the match on his Manchester United debut thanks to a brilliant performance in the cauldron of Anfield back in September 1999. The Kop tried to suck the ball into the net, but Taibi reigned supreme. Look at how that turned out.
Similarly, questions were asked of Schmeichel when he arrived unheralded from Brondby in 1991. He was pulled from pillar to post by physical teams like Wimbledon and critics, after a handful of games, wondered whether Schmeichel would last. A haul of six league titles and a Champions League medal to go with the unofficial tag of being United’s greatest ever goalkeeper suggests the Great Dane did last.
The stories of Schmeichel and Taibi prove it is ridiculous to write De Gea off so early. United, it is presumed, are not unduly worried.
Granted, they will demand improvement but Ferguson personally watched De Gea and had his army of scouts dissect his every performance in La Liga with Atletico Madrid before making their move.
A Bebe situation this is not.
De Gea was beaten 11 times from outside the box last season in Spain and his poor reactions to Edin Dzeko’s long-range effort in the Community Shield and Shane Long’s apologetic strike last Sunday undoubtedly proves he is a work in progress — but a dud he is not.
De Gea is a cocksure young goalkeeper and he will need every ounce of resolve to cope with the criticism coming his way.
It’s part of the treacherous territory of inheriting the gloves vacated by Edwin van der Sar while performing under the spotlight where every move is analysed to the Nth degree.
When Van der Sar was on the bench for Ajax’s UEFA Cup win in 1991, De Gea was a year old.
A long and winding road is ahead for United’s latest custodian but it is a path he can negotiate, if given time.
The fact Ferguson has made him the second most expensive goalkeeper in history suggests the United manager won’t cast him aside quickly in a Taibi-esque display of disdain.
He may be a rough diamond but under the tutelage of Ferguson, he will get every chance to become a polished performer.
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