Peter Schmeichel did not want Manchester United to sign David de Gea
Speaking to MUTV, Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has revealed that he did not want the club to sign David De Gea in the summer of 2011.
The young Spaniard was tasked with the duty of replacing Dutch wall Edwin van der Saar. Although he initially struggled, De Gea has done well to fill the big Dutchman’s shoes.
Schmeichel initially felt United had made a mistake. He was in favour of the club moving to sign Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer. The German eventually moved to Bayern Munich that same summer.
“I thought Manuel Neuer was a perfect fit for us.”
Neuer had shown off his excellent potential against United in the Champions League. Although the Red Devils swatted away the Germans, Neuer emerged as one of the standout players of the tie.
Schmeichel has compared Neuer’s style to his own. Maybe this explains why he had a bias towards the big German.
“He was a very aggressive goalkeeper. He played like I played. I played to my strengths. I knew where my weaknesses were and I tried desperately not to end up in situations where they might be exposed.”
Neuer would go on to become one of the best goalkeepers of the generation at Bayern. It is not to say that De Gea has done well. The Spaniard, at one point in time, was the most formidable goalkeeper in the world.
He single-handedly kept us in games and has added his name as one of our best-ever keepers.
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De Gea recently made his 400th appearance for the club. Not only is he the first United goalkeeper to reach the feat in the Premier League era but also the most-capped overseas player in our history.
