SPECIAL BRU
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer maintains David de Gea is the best in the world despite his mistake that led to Everton’s opener against United.
The keeper pondered so long on the ball in the third minute that Dominic Calvert-Lewin closed him down, blocked his attempted clearance, and the ball rebounded into the net.
De Gea recovered to deny the striker two minutes later, and saved again in added time from Gylfi Sigurdsson to ensure United earned a draw.
Former Reds captain Roy Keane, analysing for Sky Sports, said he would have ‘lynched’ De Gea at half-time and the Spaniard could come under pressure from United loanee Dean Henderson next season.
Henderson, 22, is in contention to make his England debut this month, and only Nick Pope of Burnley and Liverpool keeper Alisson have kept more clean sheets in the Premier League this season.
Henderson is contracted to United until 2022 and could return to compete with De Gea next season. “We want the best possible squad for Man United and Dean’s our player,” Solskjaer said. “He’s doing really well at the moment. and the day he comes back he’s obviously fighting to play here as well.
“But David’s shown his reaction, the way he made amends and saved Sigurdsson’s goal, or chance, at the end. David’s the best goalkeeper in the world, Dean is a very good challenger and then Sergio [Romero]’s a decent challenger as well.
“We want a squad full of quality and with competition and if you want to survive at the top you need to bounce off competitions from right, left and centre.
“He went through a difficult patch last season, definitely, but David’s been very, very good this season. I trust David 100 per cent in the goal.”
Bruno Fernandes’s 31st-minute equaliser claimed a point for United in a madcap match where De Gea and Jordan Pickford prevented possible injury-time winners. Calvert-Lewin was denied a 93rd-minute goal by the VAR, which decided Sigurdsson – who was on the floor – was interfering from an offside position.
“It’s a strange feeling, really,” Solskjaer said. “Of course, the start was the worst possible one and you might start to think here we go again. “Especially after they had a chance just after, which David should have let go because that was two yards offside. And how the linesman didn’t see that I don’t know.
“But then the reaction after that was fantastic. We played really well, got the goal we deserved, created chances, played in their half, and then we stopped playing again, a little but just before half-time and second-half they were better than us.”
David’s been very, very good this season. I trust David 100 per cent in the goal
Ole Gunnar