Is De Gea looking back to his best for Man Utd this season?

Stefan Bienkowski

• 24 Sept 2021 15:56 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes goalkeeper David de Gea is looking back to his best this season after putting in extra work in pre-season.

The Spanish shot-stopper has been an ever-present member of Man Utd’s impressive start to the Premier League season, as well as Solskjaer’s first-choice keeper in the Champions League.

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That undoubtedly stands in contrast to De Gea’s struggles last season, when he was often benched in the league and European competition for Dean Henderson, following numerous high-profile mistakes.

However, off the back of a penalty save against West Ham in the league last weekend, De Gea was full of praise for his keeper and revealed that the Spaniard was breaking new personal bests in physical tests after a strong pre-season.

"He did call me in the summer to end his summer holiday earlier and come back and start his pre-season before," Solskjaer explained in a press conference on Friday. "Because he wanted to be ready, he wanted to be the best possible version of himself.

"Last season was a challenging one for David as he didn't play as many games as he normally had done, that was because Dean [Henderson] came in and did very well. I'm fortunate I have those options, now Tom [Heaton] has come in as well.

"David has really worked, he's been so focused, physically and mentally he's better and when you feel that you've done the work, you get personal bests on quite a few physical tests, it gives you more confidence and more motivation.

"He plays behind a strong back four but to play in front of David when he's in this form is also good for them."

Is De Gea performing better than last season?

While it’s hard to judge any player after just a handful of games, there are some signs to suggest that De Gea is beginning to improve between the posts.

For example, last season the Spaniard conceded on average 1.2 goals per 90 for Man Utd. That figure has dropped quite notably down to 0.93 per 90 this season.

Of course, that could be due to Man Utd’s defensive line improving but it’s worth bearing in mind that De Gea is actually facing more shots per game this season (4) than he did last season (3.6) but has seen his shots saved percentage rise from 68 percent to 78 percent.

So, in other words, De Gea is facing more shots this season but is also making more saves, which in turn means he’s conceding fewer goals. Which is certainly good news for Man Utd fans.