David de Gea: Patience Crucial For Tomorrow's Star

It was never going to be an easy task replacing Edwin van der Sar, one of the best of his generation.

Nevertheless, David de Gea accepted that challenge this summer, and that alone says something important about our new goalkeeper. Not many would envy the monumental task of being the successor to van der Sar, but de Gea did not shy away in the face of what will likely be the greatest trial of his career.

Unfortunately, de Gea has not gotten off to the best of starts. Who could blame him? Few would be free of nerves the first time they pulled on the Manchester United goalkeeper shirt. Only two games into his career, de Gea has already taken a considerable amount of criticism. He has now conceded three goals, all of which the blame has been placed on him to some extent. Like sharks, the media and the Anything-But-United brigade have sensed blood in the water and moved to attack. What has disappointed me is that some United fans also turn on our new keeper after only two matches.

We must not forget the situation de Gea now finds himself in. Our new goalkeeper is in a new country where he does not yet speak the language. He is 20 years old playing a position where players often do not peak until they approach their 30’s. Just to put it into perspective, de Gea was born the same year that van der Sar made his professional debut. These are not excuses, these are simply the facts. Any rational fan would take this information into account when watching de Gea.

While many United fans have fortunately continued to show their support for de Gea, some of them have had the audacity to draw comparisons to Massimo Taibi or even suggest that we sell Spaniard. How can people associate him with Taibi, the man who was in goal for a 5-0 defeat to a pre-Abramovich Chelsea side, after only two competitive appearances? Has de Gea done anything near that catastrophic yet? Absolutely not, and regardless, these knee jerk reactions get us nowhere. Imagine if Sir Alex Ferguson sold Nemanja Vidic or Patrice Evra after their less then stellar debuts. Thankfully the gaffer has far more sense than some of our fans. It is one thing to admit that de Gea made an error, but it is something entirely different to suggest he be sold after a couple mistakes.

Why not instead seek insight from a man who has seen enough of de Gea to provide an informed judgment? Guillem Balague, Sky Sports’ La Liga expert, came to the defense of our young keeper today on Twitter:

“People doubting David de Gea? Seriously? No, no, seriously?? Hahahahahahaha... it will be a feast of eaten words at the end of the season”

“I was a goalie when younger (now a poor centre midfielder in 7 a side). De gea not just good. He is extraordinary”

Some fans may be quick to jump to conclusions, but I would prefer to get my insight from a man who has seen him regularly with Atletico Madrid for the past two seasons. There is a reason that de Gea is often regarded as the most promising young goalkeeper in Europe, and that is view generated by people who have seen him play more than twice. It is not just Balague who has seen an extensive amount of de Gea. Our scouts have been hard at work finding van der Sar’s heir in the hope of avoiding the same chaos that existed after Peter Schmeichel left. If you think the club bought de Gea without doing their homework, then think again. ManUtd.com’s Steve Bartram said as much today on Twiter:

“De Gea regularly scouted by MUFC, inc personal viewings by SAF. No question over ability. There will be teething troubles. Have patience.”

At a club like Manchester United, you need players that are willing to face these challenges head on, and de Gea has done exactly that. He has not shied away from his task after errors, instead picking the ball out of the net and getting on with the job. After conceding two questionable goals against Manchester City in the FA Community Shield, de Gea then had an inspired second half while his teammates provided the attacking performance for a come-from-behind victory. Following his error that gave West Bromwich Albion an equalizer this weekend, de Gea made some important saves that allowed United to grind out an opening day win. Reacting to errors in this manner should help to ease any doubts supporters have.

One quality that has always set Manchester United apart from other clubs has been their strong mentality. When the team is in desperate need of a goal at the end of the game, often the players manage to find that crucial goal. That never say die attitude has served the club well during Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure. This is what I have seen in de Gea these past two games while others have chosen to criticize. While a weaker man would let his head drop, de Gea has not done that. He has instead shown the mental acuity of a United player. Following the two mistakes everyone has focused on, he has gotten back up and done his job and done it well.

This is the same mentality that will make him a better goalkeeper. Instead of letting these mistakes hurt his confidence, he will learn from them. Every mistake is a lesson that will aid his development. Maybe his next mistake will be the result of poor positioning, but the next time he will know exactly where he needs to be. Goalkeeping is a position that requires experience to succeed. The more you play the game, the more you understand. When you get scored on, it teaches you a weakness that you need to work on. van der Sar was not born a phenomenal goalkeeper; he became one, learning from every mistake he made in his youth. Although we cannot yet know for sure if de Gea has that proper mentality, if he is to succeed at Manchester United then he must have that mental toughness. I, for one, believe he has shown signs of having the right mentality. And if he does indeed have it, he will improve from his mistakes and become a star at Manchester United.

Luckily, Sir Alex Ferguson has given de Gea all the assurances that he needs. He has gone on record that de Gea will continue as first choice rather than pulling him in favor of Anders Lindegaard. Putting the Spaniard on the bench may do more harm than good right now. This is a key moment in de Gea’s development, and right now he should be given chances to build a strong connection with his defenders.

While the boss does his job and continues to back de Gea, it is important that United fans do that same. Whoever replaced van der Sar was always doomed to intense scrutiny from those who want to see United fail. The criticisms from rival fans is more than enough, United fans need not join. Every team we play now will have fans that heckle de Gea because they sense a weakness. He needs us now more than ever. Our support should be stronger than our rivals’ criticism. The fools who speak of selling de Gea after one or two games need to have their heads checked. We support Manchester United, and we support the players that represent Manchester United. This is perhaps even more crucial when a player is struggling. Right now de Gea must feel like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and we have to show him that we are all in his corner.

There may be a few rough days ahead, but if de Gea can preserve then so can we. When all is said and done, I genuinely believe that de Gea will be hailed as one of the best in the game and become an important part of United’s history. At only 20 years old, he could potentially be our goalkeeper for the next 20 years. Right now it may be hard to see what an asset he could be, but give him some time to settle and ease his nerves. His unquestionable talent will not let the fans down and with his experience growing with every match, de Gea will soon show supporters why Sir Alex and goalkeeping coach Eric Steele have placed such an enormous amount of faith in him. We have a star that is waiting to be born, sometimes it just takes time.