Why Ten Hag could sell De Gea in Man Utd summer rebuild
Cameron Smith
- 26 Apr 2022 18:50 BST
- 3 min read
Erik ten Hag will have several tasks on his to-do list when he arrives at Manchester United, with a whole summer rebuild planned.
The club is expected to be very active in the market, in regards to both incomings and outgoings. With players such as Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard set to leave upon the expiration of their contracts this summer, midfield is seen as the greatest priority.
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However, issues in the backline also need to be resolved, while Ten Hag will need to make an informed, but tough, decision with who he chooses to be his goalkeeper.
David de Gea has been Man Utd's first choice shot-stopper for over a decade now, but aged 31 he is no longer the epitome of a modern goalkeeper. The other option currently at the club is Dean Henderson, but hasn't been given much of a chance at the club.
The Englishman excelled on loan at Sheffield United and was expected to challenge De Gea upon arriving back at Old Trafford in 2020. However, Henderson has spent most of the past two years watching from the bench and is still yet to play a single Premier League minute this campaign.
Unsuited to a Ten Hag system?
De Gea's form has simply kept Henderson out of the side, with the Spanish goalkeeper currently ranked second in the Premier League for expected goals prevented. De Gea has saved 7.5 more goals than xG predicted, which can only be beaten by Wolves' Jose Sa.
Despite this exceptional performance in goal, concerns still remain about De Gea's ability on the ball. Ten Hag has implemented a possession-dominant system at Ajax and relied on his goalkeeper to be an adept passer as well as being comfortable sweeping behind the back four.
It's what Andre Onana did so successfully for years and plays a key role in how Ten Hag's team is able to assert their dominance. After all, there's a reason why both Liverpool and Manchester City also require their goalkeepers to play an active role in possession and sweeping to cover a high line.
But, De Gea hasn't shown he can do this; he is instead a goalkeeper who tends to stay on his line rather than command his penalty area. This can be seen by the fact De Gea has successfully stopped just 3.1% of the crosses delivered into Man Utd's penalty area this campaign. That ranks bottom of the entire Premier League.
He is also the goalkeeper with the third lowest defensive actions outside the penalty area per 90 on 0.24. Those two stats combined show that De Gea isn't someone who suits a Ten Hag system.
Furthermore, De Gea is attempting the least number of passes per 90 of goalkeepers in England's top flight with 20.6.
So, while De Gea is an excellent shot-stopper, he is lacking several key areas a modern goalkeeper needs to excel in.
Henderson might not be the answer, but it's clear that De Gea will need to improve in certain areas to please Ten Hag, or he could be sold as Man Utd look to the future.
