David de Gea has never been a brave goalkeeper amid criticism over his role in Everton’s last-gasp equaliser in a 3-3 draw against Manchester United last weekend, talkSPORT has been told.
United missed the chance to go level with arch rivals Man City at that stage, throwing away two leads against the Toffees as Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck in the final seconds of stoppage time.
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Much of the blame for that goal was laid at the Spaniard’s door, with talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor telling Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop De Gea.
However, former England goalkeeper David James disagreed with those kind of assessments – as he isn’t that type of goalkeeper in his view.
“The idea that David de Gea was going to dive head first into Calvin-Lewin to try and make a block is ridiculous because he’s never done it in his career as far as I’m aware,” James told White & Jordan.
“He’s a fantastic goalkeeper and shot stopper, but when it comes to bravery he’s never going to be at the top of anyone’s league.
“Therefore you can’t expect him to do any thing different to what he normally does. The goal that knocked them out of the Champions League [vs RB Leipzig] he went for a block and it went past him and people were criticising him.
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“But the game previous to that he made exactly the same movement and it was a wonder save.
“You get what you expect from David de Gea and you don’t expect him to be diving in as a brave, head first goalkeeper.”
Solskjaer defended the Spaniard in public towards the end of last season after several high-profile mistakes, most notably in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.
De Gea, who has been on United’s books for nearly a decade, is currently contracted at Old Trafford until June 2023 – although club legend Mark Hughes has raised doubts over his position as No.1 at the club.
“The mistakes he makes are more prevalent and more costly,” Hughes explained.
“Obviously if you’re playing for a big club like Manchester United the goalkeeping position is really strong.
“It’s really important and crucial for the team moving forward, so if that concern continues then clearly they will have to look at that position.”
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