De Gea’s superb but Schmeichel is still my No 1...

I MUST admit I got it wrong about David de Gea when he arrived in the Premier League. Manchester United were at West Brom on the opening day of the 2011-12 season and I remember seeing this wiry 20year-old in goal whose kit looked too big for him. I thought, ‘Surely he is not built for the physicality of the Premier League?’

Since then, he has made all his critics eat their words. I do not think I have seen a better shot-stopper than De Gea. He is like a character in The Matrix the way he looks as if he is slowing the ball down before making a save!

What De Gea lacks in physical presence he more than makes up for in agility. You will struggle to see a better double-save this season than his effort to deny Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez.

I was working with Shay Given on Saturday and asked him who was the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. In a flash he replied De Gea — and that was before the game. But where does De Gea sit among the best ever Premier League keepers? For me, he is second only to Peter Schmeichel, who is still the No 1.

Schmeichel was so imposing. Time and again you would be put through one-onone, make a great connection and feel convinced you had scored — only for him to pull off a sensational save. He was the first goalkeeper I remember making his body into a star to be as big as possible. This is now commonplace.