Incoming Man United manager Erik ten Hag has seen David de Gea display one of the most important concerns he must address.
Erik ten Hag lays out his plans for Manchester United.
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On Friday, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea won his fourth Players' Player of the Year award, cementing his place in club history even more. De Gea has once again been praised by his teammates for saving United more than he should have during a disappointing season.
Since the award's debut in 2006, the Spaniard has received more Players' Player accolades than any other star. On Saturday, he might win his sixth Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award, which would put him ahead of any other player in United's history.
De Gea has been chosen Player of the Season by his teammates in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2022 since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. In the five years between 2014 and 2018, he received four fan-voted awards: 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018.
While he deserves praise for his achievements at one of the world's most prestigious clubs, it serves as a sobering reminder of United's slide since Ferguson's glory days. Because the Red Devils have been spoiled with choice in terms of outfield talent for decades, De Gea is the only goalkeeper to ever win either Player of the Season accolade at Old Trafford.
However, the club's outfield players are struggling in recent times, and De Gea has been left to rescue the skins of the many defenses in front of him. A great team's goalkeeper would never be the center of attention — Alisson's game-by-game greatness in Liverpool's current era is a classic example.
The Brazilian goalkeeper is an important piece in Jurgen Klopp's relentless machine, which has produced one of Liverpool's best teams in history. It's to be anticipated, though, given the caliber of players like Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mane. That is the level at which Erik ten Hag must strive to restore United to.
If Cristiano Ronaldo is voted the fans' champion on Saturday, he would equal David De Gea's total of Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards. And it would be fitting that the goalkeeper and a 37-year-old win their two illustrious individual trophies in the midst of United's worst-ever season in terms of points and goals conceded.
Ten Hag faces a difficult task in reversing a narrative that has haunted Old Trafford for the past decade. De Gea's better form and evident transcendence are undeniable, but it's past time for United's outfield players to take center stage once more.
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