Manchester United’s David De Gea – worth every bit of his transfer fee

The press and rival fans will always be quick to criticise any new player that arrives at Old Trafford – and that only intensifies when it’s a goalkeeper.

Unless you’re actually a Manchester United fan, the chances are you’ll take a lot of pleasure in seeing Sir Alex Ferguson making a costly transfer market-blunder.

Anyway, David De Gea. It’s very easy to be critical of the young Spaniard’s start; he’s vulnerable under the high-ball, he’s let in a few soft goals, and he doesn’t seem to inspire much confidence in his defenders. But he will turn one of the top-5 goalkeepers in the world.

It’s not that De Gea is good, it’s that he’s extraordinary. He’s very Southern European in his approach to the position, and the unorthodox nature of his technique is doubtless prejudicing British commentators and pundits against him. But as and when he marries his shot-stopping ability with more physical resilience, everyone’s going to see exactly why United paid as much as they did for him. Just as we tolerate an adjustment period for foreign outfield players, there’s also a steep learning curve for goalkeepers too; the decision-making requirement is different and the physical demands are greater.

He’s a 21-year-old boy who’s had a meteoric rise from third-choice at Atletico Madrid in 2009 to first-choice at Manchester United by August 2011. That’s a quantum leap in the game, and everyone needs to show an appropriate amount of patience – he won’t disappoint. He may not offer the same level of security that Edwin Van der Sar did, but the Dutchman had spent over 15-years in the game by the time he arrived at Old Trafford. It’s an unfortunate juxtaposition for De Gea, but he’s a long-term project, and one that will bear fruit before too long.

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