‘Captain America’ transformation impress De Gea

David de Gea says he felt like comic book superhero Captain America following his remarkable transformation from skinny youngster to hulking goalkeeper.

Much was expected of De Gea when he signed for Manchester United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, but the then 20-year-old struggled for form straight away, making several costly errors.

The teenager’s scrawny, gangly frame did not help matters. The Spaniard was unable to deal with the physicality of the Premier League and his confidence was low as a result.

Fast-forward three and a half years and De Gea has turned into one of the best goalkeepers on the planet, thanks partly to a more robust physique, which he attributes to a strengthening programme he embarked upon shortly after joining United.

So impressed was the Spain international that he likened his transformation to that of Marvel comic book character Steve Rogers, a weak Irish immigrant who morphed into muscular soldier Captain America after taking a serum administered by the US Army.

“I was like Captain America in one year,” De Gea said with a smile.

“I still do the programme, although not as much as before.

“It is more of a reduced programme now but certainly I did a lot of gym work at the start and it did have a big impact.”