De Gea quick to dismiss his ‘stupid’ critics
DAVID DE GEA says he did not listen to the “stupid” criticism he received after his World Cup howler.
The Manchester United goalkeeper let a shot from Cristiano Ronaldo slip through his arms in Spain’s opening group game against Portugal and was also criticised for failing to save a penalty in the last-16 shootout defeat by Russia.
But De Gea was back to his best when he made a brilliant late save to secure United victory at Watford on Saturday and says he treats any praise and criticism with indifference.
As United arrived in Switzerland for their opening Champions League group game against Young Boys of Bern, he said: “Normally I never listen to the people who speak about me. I never listen to the stupid things they say.
“I just focus on my job and focus on trying to help my team, trying to improve in every training session and try to be as a good as I can.”
De Gea – coveted by Real Madrid until they signed Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea – gave a non-committal answer when asked about whether he will pledge his long-term future to United, who have opened talks over a new contract.
His current deal has a year to run but United have an option to extend that by another season and De Gea – the club’s player of the year for four of the past five seasons – says he is happy at Old Trafford.
“I feel really loved by the fans and all the people who work for this club,” he said. “I’m really happy to play for this club, one of the best in the world.” De Gea, though, admits United will be at a disadvantage tonight because of the artificial pitch at the Stade de Suisse.
“We are not used to playing on artificial grass so it will be probably more difficult for us,” he said.
Manager Jose Mourinho has told his United stars to adopt Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer’s mentality on different surfaces. He admits the pitch could be a hindrance but will refuse to use it as an excuse if they slip to a shock defeat against a side making their debut in the Champions League group stages.
“They play on artificial turf – that’s a huge advantage for them and a huge disadvantage for the other teams,” he said. “But I don’t want to use the pitch as a possible excuse for a not very good performance.
“We are in Switzerland, the home of one of the best-ever tennis players. He has a favourite surface [grass] but has to win on surfaces he’s not in love with. We have to do it too.”