David de Gea has played every possible minute with Erik ten Hag so far this season, despite early indications that the Spaniard’s Manchester United career was on the ropes.
And at the end of the summer transfer window, United signed Martin Dubravka on loan, a goalkeeper considered a good Premier League option with a better, if somewhat unspectacular, record in facets of so-called playing attributes. “modern” goalkeeper. .
However, the Slovak has not had a chance to claim a starting spot despite De Gea’s shortcomings or poor form earlier in the season.
And Ten Hag’s comments suggest that’s unlikely to change, as the manager says: “Everyone has their own opinion and their own philosophy.
“For me, for a goalkeeper, you have to protect the goal and make sure you don’t concede goals. In that fact, [De Gea] it’s magnificent.”
Those comments seem to be very much at odds with the initial expectations surrounding the Dutch coach, who is seen as preferring goalkeepers who play with the ball.
Ten Hag hasn’t forgotten the importance of distribution, but remains committed to improving the 31-year-old, rather than resorting to his alternative:
“On his feet, for me, he also has the capabilities. I think when you look at this season, he’s progressing from game to game in that part.”
“It also has to do with the forwards, how do you give the goalkeeper the options to bring passes, because when they don’t run free, or at the wrong times, or in the wrong positions, then he doesn’t have the options to pass. But I am convinced that he can do it and I think the games so far show that. I think he will improve from match to match in that part.”
It would seem that despite De Gea’s limitations, Ten Hag considers United’s number one to be a better goalkeeper than Dubravka.
That’s probably not a controversial point of view, as De Gea has historically been a world-class goalkeeper with enough skill to excuse his weaknesses.
The surprise is that the United manager has been so willing to circumvent David de Gea’s limitations in order to keep him in the team.
It’s another sign of Erik ten Hag’s pragmatism, a trait that has seen the Red Devils able to switch to low-block counter attacking strategies in certain matches.
Ten Hag is working with what he has available and, despite advertising De Gea as ‘magnificent’, one suspects he would prefer a more complete goalkeeper. He just seems like he’s not convinced that Dubravka is worth it.
Had Man United been successful in their attempts to sign Kevin Trapp in the summer, it is quite likely that De Gea would no longer be the team’s starting goalkeeper.
But by settling for Dubravka, the club have given the Spaniard time to get used to Ten Hag’s methods, and it is time he is using well. 
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