David De Gea deserves to be locked up long-term by Manchester United
Louis van Gaal's Manchester United has managed to stay in England's top four despite failing to consistently convince a full 90 minutes from his side through the first 22 rounds of 2014-15 Premier League season. The Red Devils have been able to produce results, and no player has been more responsible for those earnings than United goalkeeper David De Gea.
The Manchester United Supporters' Trust conducted a recent poll asking whether fans preferred to sign De Gea to an extension or swap the Spaniard for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale. Over 99 percent of responders sided with keeping the keeper. Over 99 percent of United's fans got it right. The club should look to quickly lock up De Gea on a long-term deal.
A dive into the statistics paints the picture of a supreme shot stopper who should be signed immediately.
During the Premier League campaign, De Gea is one of only three first-choice goalies that allows less than one goal every 90 minutes. Even with United's shoddy defense, he concedes one goal every 94 minutes on average. Only two keepers in the league have a better record: Manchester City's Joe Hart (one goal every 100 minutes) and Southampton's Fraser Forster (one goal allowed every 124 minutes).
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When comparing De Gea to Forster and Hart, one cannot help but fixate over how much more often the Manchester United stopper is called into action than his peers. Forster has 43 saves in 22 games, and Hart has 44 saves in 20 starts. De Gea's 62 saves amount to 40.9 percent more saves than Hart's tally and 44.2 percent more saves than Forster's number.
With injuries also adding to the headache, De Gea averages 2.81 saves per match and ranks seventh in the league in total saves. The six players tabbing more saves than De Gea have each allowed at least four more goals than him.
On a weekly basis, the 24-year-old Madrid native makes improbable fingertip touches and rescues points for a Manchester United side that is clearly not yet sorted, especially at the back. If De Gea played with the same consistency of the back four that claims to protect him, United may well be in the bottom four instead of the top four.
To better explain how De Gea stands apart this season, one needs only to look at the shots-to-saves ratio. De Gea saves 74.7 percent of shots he faces. This season, that is the best record for a first-choice Premier League keeper. Hart and Forster rank fifth and sixth on that list, respectively.
De Gea has been the best goalkeeper in England this season. Considering his steady development since arriving at Old Trafford and the lifespan of a good goalie in the sport – Edwin Van der Saar productively played until age 40 – Manchester United would be wise to secure the Spaniard's services for the long term. Another decade of De Gea between the posts would be a welcome sight for the Red Devils.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA
