Premier League legend Mark Schwarzer has been critical of David de Gea’s recent performances for Manchester United, it’s clear that the Spaniard isn’t at his best.
In an interview with Goal, legendary Premier League stopper Mark Schwarzer has had his say on Manchester United superstar David de Gea.
The Australian believes that De Gea has been ‘average’ for at least the last six months, adding that the Spaniard’s form has ‘dropped’ over the last year.
According to The Sun, De Gea has told friends that he’s willing to reject the Red Devils’ most recent contract offer of a whopping £350,000-a-week.
The Sun also add that European giants Juventus, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested in signing 28-year-old on a free transfer next summer.
It’s hard not to attribute the stopper’s drop in form to the constant rumours that are surrounding his future.
Here’s what the Aussie had to say on De Gea:
“They will have to come to a decision at some point on whether his value is the same as what he is asking for, there’s speculation about him and then there’s the fact that he may still choose to leave.
“Ultimately there comes the point where your history and your past performances only get you so far. It is about now. If you look at his last six months, his average performances haven’t been anywhere near what they have been in the past.
“If you break it down, a lot of goals have come from direct mistakes from De Gea. Probably more than in the entire six or seven-year period before. There is always a balancing act as a player. What’s your current value? Your recent performances come into that.
“Can he get to the level he was at before? Part of that is being consistent. Consistency is not a word I would associate with David de Gea over the last six months. If not more.”
“United have a very good goalkeeper [in De Gea]. He has been pretty consistent for most of his time at the club. The first 18 months were mixed, then he was exceptional and in the last 12 months he has dropped off a bit. Over a long period he has been very good for them.”
Schwarzer is one of the best goalkeepers to ever play in the Premier League, the ace played for; Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester during his lengthy career.
The stopper made 514 Premier League appearances and also holds the record for most international caps for an Australian player.
Schwarzer also revealed that De Gea is behind rivals Alisson and Ederson, who are taking the league by storm with their talents when the ball is at their feet:
“De Gea doesn’t start the play. I think he is good with his feet but we don’t see him very often play with his feet, not as much as Ederson or Alisson.”
Since his arrival at Old Trafford in the summer of 2011, De Gea has made 279 Premier League appearances – keeping 101 clean sheets.
The Spaniard won the league’s Golden Glove in the 2017/18 season and also won the Premier League title in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season before retiring.
While De Gea may not be in the best form of his career, the star’s departure would send shockwaves through Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad.
