“Not good enough on the ball, yet” – Jamie Carragher delivers damning verdict about Manchester United star ahead of Liverpool clash
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes that Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is not good enough on the ball.
De Gea made two horrendous mistakes in United's 4-0 loss against Brentford last weekend. He let Josh Dasilva's shot slip under him for the first goal as early as the 10th minute.
Just eight minutes later, the Spaniard played a dreadful pass to an under-pressure Christian Eriksen and Brentford got hold of the ball inside the penalty area. The Bees used it well to punish Manchester United with a second goal.
A reminder that David de Gea is the highest paid goalkeeper in the world 🧤 https://t.co/ER4fRrqCD0
Carragher discussed how new United manager Erik ten Hag's style requires the goalkeeper to be efficient on the ball. However, he doesn't see De Gea as that player, as he stated on Sky Sports (quoted by Manchester Evening News):
"I go back to how important Ten Hag sees his goalkeeper, on the ball. For him, he thinks he has a back three and the goalkeeper is a player. But the problem is, this goalkeeper is not good enough on the ball, yet."
De Gea is one of the finest shot stoppers in the Premier league. However, his distribution and ability on the ball remains an area to be questioned. In fact, he has not played for Spain for over a year, with Luis Enrique preferring Athletic Bilbao custodian Unai Simon.
Carragher further went on to explain how De Gea often panics on the ball, which is a point of concern. He said:
"He wants to give the goalkeeper angles - the idea is fine, but I just think the player he has got in there is not good enough to do it. De Gea has just given the ball away to Fred [against Brighton]... De Gea was a bit unnerved by that, and he panics and goes long."
Manchester United set to face Liverpool this weekend
Manchester United will have to showcase some serious improvements to their recent form as they take on Liverpool this weekend in the Premier League.
The Anfield-based side are not in their best form as they have drawn both of their league games this season. They drew 2-2 against Fulham on Matchday 1 and played out a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace last weekend. However, they can get right back on track with a win at Old Trafford against a struggling United side on Monday (August 21).
Liverpool thrashed United 5-0 in their last league visit. Manchester United need to avoid a similar result as they have already conceded six goals in their first two Premier League games. United sit bottom of the table while the Reds are 15th.