David de Gea papers over Manchester United's weaknesses at the back, says Gary Neville
The pundit has argued that De Gea makes up for United's defensive weaknesses
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Gary Neville has praised David de Gea as “world class” and believes the goalkeeper makes up for Manchester United’s weaknesses at the back.
The former United defender is confident Jose Mourinho has assembled a squad capable of bringing the Premier League trophy back to Old Trafford after a five-year absence.
But Neville insists that De Gea, who claimed his 100th clean sheet at the club against Everton over the weekend, has played a vital role in papering over the cracks in United's defence.
Neville told Sky Sports: “If you look at United, you saw them make mistakes at Stoke and there were chances for Everton - but ultimately the weaknesses they have shown at the back are covered by a goalkeeper in David de Gea who is absolutely world-class."
He was confident, though, that Mourinho has turned Old Trafford into a fortress once more: “Jose Mourinho has always been a good manager at home and he is happy to sit in and let teams expose themselves, and United’s record at Old Trafford is now no defeats in 12 months since City won there.
“To me they are looking a lot better than before in terms of breaking sides down and killing off games.”
The pundit has also claimed that United are benefiting from the rivalry that is arising between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial up front.
He added: “There’s a really exciting battle going on between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for that left-side striker role and every time we see the team sheet the fans are asking why the other isn’t starting.
“The interesting thing is that one seems to be profiting from the other’s work, with Martial scoring again after coming on for Rashford.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments