CAPE TOWN – With Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea coming in for some harsh criticism, former team-mate Rio Ferdinand has leapt to his defence.
The Spanish international was blamed for a number of costly mistakes in United’s 3-1 FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea on Sunday, and reports have suggested that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will look to the on-form Dean Henderson – on loan at Sheffield United – to plug the hole.
But Ferdinand, who played alongside the Spaniard when he was widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world, said the only player who could replace De Gea was Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak.
“Listen, has David de Gea been making mistakes? Yes, he has been making mistakes. Is he low on confidence? Yes, he is low on confidence,” said the former Manchester United defender.
“But has he got the character to come back? Has he proven his character in years gone by? Yes, he has. When he came to Manchester United, he was a 19-year-old and there were question marks straight away over whether he was good enough. ‘Is he too slim? Is he too frail? He’s not ready to be Man United’s number one goalkeeper’.
“He dispelled all of those things that were being said about him through character, hard work, determination and – above anything else – quality,” said Ferdinand.
“He’s been Player of the Year four out of the last six years. This guy, when there was inconsistency at Manchester United, he was the consistent factor all the time there.
“Yes, he’s had a bad time there, a bad spell, confidence is low – but does that mean you go out and get rid of him? Who are you going to get? Tell me who is out there now they’re going to go and get?
“Dean Henderson is a young goalkeeper … it’s still a big gamble. Who is out there who is actually able to be bought right now, who is going to go in and be a world-class goalkeeper right now at Manchester United?
“The only one I see is Oblak. But can you get him out of Atlerico Madrid? And if you do, how much are you going to have to spend? An obscene amount of money. I say stick with him [De Gea]. He’s earned that right to be stuck with.”
IOL Sport