THE GREATEST

DAVID DE GEA ON HIS INCREDIBLE JOURNEY FROM BEING BATTERED BY STRIKERS AND PUNDITS ALIKE TO BEING THE BEST IN THE WORLD

David de Gea sits down, concentrating his gaze on a computer screen in a small room at Spain’s training ground. He is watching a clip from his first Premier League game. Manchester United won 2-1 at the Hawthorns, but for a 20-year-old, it was a demoralising experience.

a tame strike by West Brom’s Shane Long crawled under his body. Within the first hour of his Premier League career, rival supporters were teasing him with cries of ‘dodgy keeper’. Sportsmail columnist Jamie Redknapp commented that de Gea ‘looked like he needed to grow into his clothes’, and rarely has a segment of Tv analysis seemed more accurate.

‘ Oh my God,’ de Gea says, rolling his eyes and recalling the ‘Jeepers keepers’ headlines. ‘it was a brutal start. West Brom saw this Spanish kid in goal. So they did the sensible thing — they launched high, long balls and challenged me physically. i knew i had to change but i needed time and experience.

‘it was really hard — a new country, a dressing room where i didn’t know a soul and a language i could barely speak a word of. i was really young. Most kids are just starting university and i was in a dressing room of people who expected to win not just every game but every match in training.

‘We had a hugely experienced defence — icons like Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja vidic and Patrice evra. i remember Rio and Paddy telling me, “OK, fine, you’re young, but this is Manchester United. We only accept the best”.’

in Sir alex Ferguson, de Gea possessed a staunch ally. Before signing de Gea as edwin van der Sar’s replacement in 2011, Ferguson sent goalkeeping coach eric Steele to watch the Spaniard on more than 20 occasions. He then took a remarkable step of his own.

Ferguson had previously missed only two United games — to attend his son’s wedding on the day of the Manchester derby in 2000 and a home game against Middlesbrough in 1998 due to a family bereavement. Yet he skipped United’s League Cup match at Scunthorpe in 2010 to watch atletico Madrid play at valencia. On the flight home, he confirmed to his colleagues that de Gea would be his goalkeeper.

de Gea says: ‘Ferguson took a huge risk. He had the courage to give me that jersey. Ferguson was blunt. He told me i had to adapt; it was going to be hard and there would be bumps in the road.

‘i recall reading about United’s interest and i didn’t believe it at first. They wanted a replacement for van der Sar, a 40-year-old who had such experience, and there was me — just a kid. We knew there would be challenges.’

Challenges presented themselves at every turn. after he signed in 2011, errors followed in the Community Shield against Manchester City. a peculiar episode in a supermarket led to The Sun running a front-page story: ‘ United goalie caught nicking £ 1.19 Tesco doughnut.’

By august 20 of his first season, there was an interview with United goalkeeping flop Massimo Taibi, who told the world he saw parallels between himself and de Gea.

Yet de Gea is now considered the world’s greatest goalkeeper. He was United’s Player of the Year three times in a row from 2014 to 2016. He has made the PFa Team of the Year five times in six years, was on the six-man shortlist for Player of the Year, and now has an Fa Cup final to savour.

His team-mates are often in awe. ander Herrera grins and says: ‘david has something special. He was born with a gift. There are times in training when i shoot and in my head i’m saying “Gol!” like the Spanish commentators, then this cat-like hand emerges from nowhere and claws it away. i shake my head, laugh and enjoy him.

‘He’s made saves in games where i’ve stopped in my tracks and just said to myself, “How good is this guy?” He will make a save and everyone’s singing his name, the Tv’s showing six replays, Twitter’s going mad… and he gets up as if it is the easiest thing in the world.

‘Before games, i’m a bit crazy. i get tense, i shake, dance. david pats me on the back, shrugs and says, “No, ander, stand still, don’t worry, it can’t go wrong. if they shoot, they cannot score because i’m in goal”. it’s like nothing has happened.

‘ in the Fa Cup semi- final against everton in 2016, he saved a penalty from Romelu Lukaku and after the game he’s just like, “OK, that happened. What do you want to do tomorrow?” it’s like a student handing in an assignment and moving on. This is greatness.’

So, david, are you the best in the world? ‘i’m playing well, i’m confident but i have to maintain it and win trophies. That’s what world-class players do.’ GROWiNG up on the outskirts of Madrid, de Gea began as a striker in small- sided football. His Pe teacher Manuela infante’s enduring memory of de Gea is the blond hair and his height.

‘in class,’ infante explains, ‘the kids would write down their plans and david would write, “i want to be like Peter Schmeichel”.’

The two keepers’ methods are contrasting. Schmeichel’s sprawling, spreading saves were more conventional than de Gea’s, whose telescopic legs often come to his aid. Considering their differing frames, it is a surprise when Steele points out de Gea’s glove size (between a size 10 and 11) is bigger than Schmeichel’s, who was a 9.

He grins when i mention his propensity to make saves with his feet. Steele nurtured the skill at United, even introducing a training drill a teenage de Gea himself requested to enhance his reflexes with his feet.

de Gea adds: ‘if the ball flies towards me, i just react like this. it’s innate. Some coaches have tried to change this about me but it’s not happening. i like it. it’s good to have a trademark.’ de Gea’S journey to acceptance at Old Trafford was not straightforward. in his first season, United shipped goals and observers wondered if Ferguson would stick with his keeper.

de Gea was in goal the day United lost 6-1 at home to City in 2011. He could appear haphazard in his preparation. in Spain, it is accepted that family and friends attend training and, as de Gea was still learning to drive, his father Jose often attended Ferguson’s sessions.

The manager, however, soon became paranoid and brought an end to that. United needed de Gea’s preparation to improve. He is long-sighted and wears contact

‘He compared me to a toddler taking their first steps. Then he said: “The boy is walking now.” I felt emboldened’

lenses during games, but in those early days he sometimes forgot to insert his lenses before training.

Ferguson had indulged growing pains in outfield players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but would he show the same tolerance with a keeper?

De Gea highlights two turning points. In the lead-up to a trip to Chelsea in his debut season, some questioned whether Ferguson would risk putting the Spaniard back in goal ahead of youngster Ben Amos (now at Charlton).

De Gea started, and although the game ended 3-3, his reputation was enhanced by an extraordinary save to repel Juan Mata’s free-kick in stoppage time. ‘It might have been the defining moment of my United career. From there, it got better and better. Juan is still p***** off about that one.

‘The second big moment was midway through my second season. I had been under pressure after a game at Spurs, where Gary Neville criticised me. I made a mistake late on but I’d made a hatful of brilliant saves that day. It doesn’t bother me. Neville was right about the error. It was snowing and I misjudged a cross.

‘Not long after, we were playing at Real Madrid. Ferguson brought me into the press conference in the Bernabeu. He told everyone, the British media, the Spanish media, that I had a special talent.

‘I remember what he said exactly. He compared me to a toddler taking their first steps forward. You wobble, get up, wobble, get up again and then you walk.

‘Ferguson ended that press conference saying, “The boy is walking now”. Ferguson sat next to me and told the world how much he believed in me. I felt emboldened. Ferguson was very patient with me. He did not shout and was never too harsh. He knew I needed time and trust.’

It was wonderful imagery and De Gea responded with one of the more impressive performances of his young career, as he made save after save to repel Real Madrid and helped United earn a 1-1 draw. Ferguson was exasperated by Neville’s analysis of the Tottenham game, in which he scrutinised the body language of Vidic, Evra and Danny Welbeck in the aftermath of De Gea’s error.

Neville insisted United players would admonish De Gea in the dressing room. Ferguson privately rebuked Neville and sources from the dressing room on that snowy afternoon insist the pundit misread the situation. As De Gea entered the dressing room, senior teammates rallied round him.

Ferguson and Steele were fiercely protective. Steele saw positives even in De Gea’s darkest moments, such as that first afternoon at West Brom. ‘He made a mistake on the goal and I said, “That’s not like you, technically”. It was a routine shot that went through his hands. I talked him through a moment later on in the game and gave him an image that he still keeps.

‘He comes for a cross above two players who have previously battered him and he claims the ball. His knees are high and he catches it — we say, “That’s what you have to do, that takes guts, to keep coming”.’

I wonder if there was a time De Gea feared, during those early months, that it might not end well? He hesitates. ‘Hmm… maybe. The truth is, I have always had big selfbelief, and it’s true that was tested, but I knew my best would arrive.’ SINCE Ferguson’s retirement, United have endured a more traumatic period. As De Gea stepped up, United deteriorated.

In summer 2015, before Louis van Gaal’s second season, matters came to a head. Real Madrid pursued De Gea, hoping to lure him to Spain in a summer-long saga that went to the wire on the final day of the window. It ended in calamitous fashion, with De Gea waiting for news with his family in Madrid as the deadline approached and the deal fell through as midnight passed.

Van Gaal alleged that De Gea had said he did not want to play in the club’s first two home games. He was made to train with the reserves. De Gea rejects the suggestion that he refused to play. Following the collapse of the transfer, he was restored to the team.

‘My first game back was at Old Trafford against Liverpool. Louis had said what he said. The truth is, I wasn’t sure how Old Trafford would react to me.

‘I was nervous walking out that day. They have always been behind me but I did wonder that day. As it transpired, they were amazing. Everyone was singing my name. It was important for me.’

The goalkeeper describes Van Gaal as ‘ pesado’. The Spanish word can translate in many ways but its most extreme is, essentially, a bore. A more positive rendering would be painstaking or meticulous.

Under Jose Mourinho, De Gea cuts a happier figure. One of Mourinho’s first moves as United manager was to speak to De Gea during Euro 2016. He recruited goalkeeping coach Emilio Alvarez on De Gea’s recommendation. Alvarez was De Gea’s mentor at Atletico. The methods he employed to improve De Gea’s reflexes included asking him to wear a blindfold while responding to shots from close range.

De Gea’s father, Jose, a former goalkeeper with Getafe, is his harshest critic. ‘ When I was younger, he was the most honest with me. Now he’s softer, but that’s because I am quite good these days. He is still critical enough.

‘He notices every detail, every mistake. He has always trained me from a little boy. It’s special to have that bond with your dad.’

Rumours of a return to Spain are rarely far from the surface with De Gea but United are hopeful of retaining him this summer. De Gea admires Mourinho and has sensed a change in mentality.

‘It was odd (under Van Gaal). Finishing fourth is not good enough. I want to win. If you are at United, you need a manager with a winning mentality. We had that with Ferguson. Mourinho has it. He wants to win every game.

‘We spoke in the Euros and he told me he wanted me with him and wanted trophies. We’ve had a tough time since Ferguson retired. It’s hard to diagnose. It has to be more. Titles are what I crave. We have to get United back to their best, back in the Champions League, back as the champions of England, back to the top.’

AdApted from Guernica to Guardiola: How the Spanish Conquered english Football by Adam Crafton, published on May 3 by Simon & Schuster at £20. to order a copy for £15 (offer valid to May 10; p&p free), call 0844 571 0640.

‘If you are at United, you need a manager with a winning mentality. We had that with Ferguson. Jose has it too’