Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was imperious in goal for the Red Devils on Sunday against West Ham.
De Gea made a number of notable saves, especially in the closing minutes of the game, to ensure United picked up all three points in a hard-fought 1–0 victory against the Hammers.
#DeGea’s 2 saves at the end were truly game winning moments!
Our model at https://t.co/MZcBzSYSZ7 finds that the header is only expected to save 46% of the time! pic.twitter.com/yaq3Z6UvWX
— John Harrison (@Jhdharrison1) October 30, 2022
The Spaniard’s exploits on Sunday served to rekindle debate among fans and the media as to why the goalkeeper was not on Luis Enrique’s preliminary 55-man Spanish National Team list.
A reminder… Luis Enrique believes that there are five better Spanish goalkeepers than David de Gea ???? pic.twitter.com/AMWyr9fYyP
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) October 30, 2022
De Gea was snubbed, with Enrique favoring five other goalkeepers before him, including Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga, Brighton’s David Sánchez and Brentford’s David Raya.
De Gea’s national team snub follows his significantly reduced prominence in the European Championship, where he barely had a sniff at La Furia Roja’s goal.
While many fans were shocked by Enrique’s decision, according to Diario AS, the snub did not come as a surprise to the 31-year-old.
AS reports: “The Spanish goalkeeper knew for months before the preliminary list that he did not count for Luis Enrique.”
“Even his brilliant start with United in this new campaign has not served to change the manager’s plans.”
“That’s why within United, where he does have great support, many ask themselves the same question: what else can he do to leave with the National Team?”
De Gea has one year left on his current contract with the Red Devils and, as in Spain with Enrique, there are big questions about his ability to fit into an Erik ten Hag system.
The goalkeeper is not the best with his feet and sweeping action, although he has shown flashes of improvement in this regard recently.
De Gea’s situation is not helped by the fact that United are reportedly an interested party in Porto’s Diogo Costa, who is seen as a long-term successor at Old Trafford.
It will be interesting to see how much De Gea evolves as the season progresses and what final decision the club makes regarding his future.
