HE’S SIMPLY BEST!
David is world’s top keeper, says Valdes
DAVID DE GEA is the best goalkeeper in the world.
That’s the verdict of his rival Victor Valdes, who says he can have no complaints about sitting on the Manchester United bench.
Boss Louis van Gaal won the race to sign Valdes in January, but his only appearances in a United shirt so far have come in the Under- 21 side.
Despite being a three- time Champions League winner, Valdes is yet to turn out for the senior team because De Gea’s form has been sensational.
But Valdes bears no ill feeling towards his fellow Spaniard. Instead, he can only marvel at his performances.
Amazing
“You are always waiting for your opportunity to play and train every day to show your performance to the manager,” said former Barcelona No. 1 Valdes.
“But now David is at a very, very high performance level.
“I think he is the most important goalkeeper in the world at the moment. So it is difficult for me to play and, of course, I must accept this.
“For me, the top keeper now is David. I see him every day in training. I watch him in every game, every week, and his performances right now are amazing.”
Negotiations have begun between De Gea and United over an extension to his contract, which expires next year.
Real Madrid are waiting in the wings to pounce for the 24- year- old as a replacement for veteran Iker Casillas.
De Gea will need to be at his best when Tottenham’s in- form hitman Harry Kane comes calling to Old Trafford today.
Both clubs are desperate for the points as they battle to nail down a top- four finish.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino handed his squad a much- needed break during the week – but revealed he turned down requests for a longer rest as he worked his players hard ahead of the crunch clash.
After crashing out of the Europa League, Pochettino decided to allow his players some time off – but not too much.
“They only had two days off,” said the Argentine.
“They asked for more, but we need to work. They deserved the two days off to have time with their families.
Respect
“It has been tough since the beginning of the season. But in the way that we play we want to improve our play and it was important to still work hard.
“We have full respect for Man United, but we are very focused on our game.
“A lot of teams are fighting for the same target. We are very close, but we know it is very difficult. We will see what will happen.” KING OF THE GLOVES: David de Gea is hugely admired by team- mate Victor Valdes ( inset) TIME OFF: Mauricio Pochettino DEAL OR NO DEAL? Raheem Sterling