October 31, (THEWILL) – David de Gea put the heartbreak of not being selected for Spain’s preliminary World Cup squad behind him with a fantastic performance in the 1-0 victory over West Ham United, and Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag, credited him for the display.
As United clutched on to a crucial three points at Old Trafford against the Hammers, De Gea was in outstanding form as he produced late sweeping saves to stop Kurt Zouma and Declan Rice, and preserve his clean sheet.
De Gea, who had not been called up by his nation since November 2021, was again left out of Luis Enrique’s preliminary 55-player World Cup roster, with five other goalkeepers preferred ahead of him.
Ten Hag defended his number one goalkeeper following his most recent show of outstanding shot-keeping: “Everyone has his own opinion and his own philosophy. For me, the first from a goalkeeper is you have to protect the goal, so make sure you don’t concede goals and in that fact he is magnificent.
“And on the feet, for me, he has the capabilities as well. This season, he is progressing from game to game in that part. It has to do not only with the keeper but it has to do with the one in front: how do you give the keeper options to bring passes in? Because when they don’t bring freedom or they are in the wrong positions, he doesn’t have the options to pass around.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
