"He isn’t following the game" - Peter Schmeichel claims Manchester United star 'should have done better' in key moment against Man City
Iconic former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has claimed that David de Gea should have done better to prevent Manchester City from finding the back of the net.
The Red Devils fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of their local rivals in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, May 3. With the victory, Pep Guardiola's side have taken a step closer to emulating Manchester United's historic feat of winning the treble.
David de Gea's performances have been consistently scrutinized this season despite the Spaniard winning the Premier League Golden Glove for the second time in his career.
Peter Schmeichel has now also joined the bandwagon, criticizing De Gea after his display in the FA Cup final. The Dane claimed that De Gea was not following the game and should have done better to prevent Ilkay Gundogan's early strike. Schmeichel told BBC Sport, as quoted by The Peoples Person:
“He should have done better. I was very surprised that it went in [City second goal]. He isn’t following the game.”
Schmeichel's former Red Devils teammate Roy Keane also slammed De Gea and insisted that they desperately need a new goalkeeper. He told ITV, as quoted by The Peoples Person:
“Manchester United need a new goalkeeper and world class striker, I’m sick of saying it.”
David de Gea has been at Old Trafford since 2011 and has made a total of 545 appearances for the club to date, keeping 190 clean sheets in the process. He has been awarded Manchester United Players' Player of the Year on four occasions.
However, the Spaniard has been heavily scrutinized of late for his lack of ability with the ball and poor range of passing. He has also made several costly errors this season.
De Gea's current deal at Old Trafford expires this summer and his future is pretty much up in the air. He has kept 25 clean sheets this season in 58 games across competitions.
Ian Wright claims Erik ten Hag made selection mistake in Manchester United's loss to Man City
Arsenal icon Ian Wright has claimed that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made a mistake by not starting Alejandro Garnacho in their FA Cup loss against Manchester City.
The Argentine wonderkid made a solid impact off the bench in the second half and Wright has insisted that he should have been given a start by Ten Hag. He told ITV, as quoted by Metro:
"I thought Manchester City were just very efficient. I thought we would see more from Manchester United. They improved after Garnacho came on and he definitely should have started the game for me. He proved he had a little bit more thrust about him. Other than that, Manchester City were in total control really. It was quite tepid from United in the end."
Garnacho has enjoyed a phenomenal breakout season for the Red Devils. The youngster has scored six goals and produced six assists in 36 games across competitions for the Red Devils despite only 11 starts.