David de Gea has had an excellent season with Manchester United once again, and following his heroics in the Red Devils’ dramatic FA Cup semi-final win over Everton, teammate Ander Herrera hailed his compatriot as the world’s best goalkeeper.
De Gea has come to be recognised as the saviour of Old Trafford these days, and he has rightly justified that title by putting in world class performances on a consistent basis. Ander Herrera has witnessed his compatriot’s feats first hand and recently stated that De Gea is the best in the world, claiming that he would get more recognition outside of England when Manchester United started winning trophies.
“He is the number one in the world,” said Herrera, according to Goal.
“In England you know that but in the rest of the world they think they have better goalkeepers, but I don’t think so. When we win titles or trophies I think he will be more recognised.
“He has a special talent. When you are born with that quality and ability, you are so lucky. The rest of the humans, we have to work more. You have to work harder.”
How De Gea matches up to other top goalkeepers
David de Gea has been phenomenal for Manchester United and has even found a place in the PFA Team of the Year for his performances despite the Red Devils’ abject form for most of the season. His closest competitor in the Premier League has been Tottenham Hotspur keeper Hugo Lloris, while any debate on the best goalkeeper in the world will definitely include the Italian living legend Gianluigi Buffon and German sweeper-keeper Manuel Neuer.
Buffon and Neuer are ahead of De Gea in terms of clean sheets, but one has to take into account the more competitive nature of the Premier League. In the circumstances, 14 clean sheets is an admirable total. The Spaniard has also made the most number of saves among the four — nine more than Lloris and Buffon.
When it comes to saves per goal, Buffon is far ahead of the pack. However, the Italian has a solid defensive wall in front of him, while De Gea has had to deal with an injury ravaged, ever-changing defence.
