Newcastle were 2-0 winners over Man United at the weekend and midfielder Jacob Murphy has revealed the moment they knew they were going to take all three points from the match.
The Magpies sensed David de Gea’s distribution was weak straight away at St. James’ Park on Sunday as the Spaniard hesitated during his first goal kick. The goalkeeper’s uncertainty with the ball at his feet gave Eddie Howe’s side confidence and from there they knew they could go on win the clash.
“Their first goal kick, De Gea was taking a while,” Murphy told Rio Ferdinand on the Vibe with Five YouTube channel.
“This is a bit unusual; he was taking his time with it, he was asking everyone to go upfield, then hit long.
“They were just taking a while, lots of pointing, I could sense from that, we were going to have a good game from there.”
Overall, De Gea was solid against Newcastle and the scoreline would have been worse for United had it not been for some of the Spaniard’s saves.
However, the 32-year-old is not great with the ball at his feet and that is something Erik ten Hag will need to address this summer.
It is believed that the Dutch coach wants De Gea to stay at Old Trafford, reports the Daily Mail, but that could be a hindrance to the style of play the Man United boss wants to implement at Old Trafford.