TOUGH GLOVE
De Gea: We must be more ruthless to challenge for title next season
DAVID DE GEA says Manchester United must become more consistent to compete for the Premier League crown next season.
The Spain keeper has enjoyed another impressive campaign with United, recording 17 clean sheets in the league, putting him on the brink of winning the Golden Glove for the first time.
But he acknowledged Jose Mourinho’s side were too inconsistent to get anywhere near champions Manchester City and must address that.
Although United have beaten City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea, it was dropped points against Stoke, Huddersfield, Leicester, Burnley, Southampton, Newcastle and West Brom which ultimately cost them.
De Gea believes United have in Mourinho the right man to lead them back to the very top, but conceded the players must produce more consistently if they are to leapfrog City next season.
“We’ve got a great manager,” said De Gea. “He’s very experienced, he’s won everything there is to win in the game.
“What he’s really good at is transmitting his winning mentality to the group. However, at the end of the day, it’s down to ourselves – the players on the field.
“It’s us who make the saves, create the chances and score the goals.
“So as a group we’ve got to get that level of consistency and quality throughout the season.”
With four games to go, De Gea’s nearest challenger for the Golden Glove award is City’s Ederson, with 15 clean sheets in the league.
He is aiming to end the season on a high by securing second place in the league and winning the FA Cup, before heading to Russia for the World Cup with Spain.
“I’m pretty pleased with my performance,” he added. “I felt good, felt fit and in good form physically through the season.”