Manchester United are out of the Europa League, and their visibly exhausted squad now face a scrap to the line to ensure that their season ends in sealing Champions League football and, if possible, a second trophy in the form of the FA Cup.
In the aftermath of Thursday night's 3-0 defeat to Sevilla, however, Erik Ten Hag will now be contemplating the role of his most senior player.
Manchester United must face awkward David de Gea questions
For David de Gea, the defeat at Sevilla may not have been the nadir of his time at Manchester United - but it was certainly the moment at which many came to their own personal realisations that, perhaps, the club may now start to look elsewhere for their starting goalkeeper going forward.
On a night when Luke Shaw was resigned to the bench, and first-choice centre backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez remained sidelined, defensive stability would have been craved by manager Erik Ten Hag. For most modern teams, that starts at the very last line of defence, with the goalkeeper.
For a goalkeeper of David de Gea's stature, it's not a stretch to say that far more would have been expected than the disasterclass which emerged in Seville on Thursday night. If the first goal mix-up could reasonably be put down to 50-50 blame between himself and the nervy Harry Maguire, it was the third that fully showed his shortcomings.
David de Gea.
Oof.pic.twitter.com/1eSybZoKkQ— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) April 20, 2023
It was the night when Manchester United's hopes of pulling off a "cup treble" evaporated, with Sevilla running out comfortable 3-0 winners against fatigued and lifeless opposition.
Even so, United would have been in the game in the closing stages had it not been for de Gea's two huge blunders.
What will make it especially painful is that the nightmare of Seville came mere days after manager Erik Ten Hag defended de Gea from criticism by describing him as a "complete" goalkeeper:
At the end of the day it's about stopping goals, stopping shots, stopping crosses, one-on-ones etc so that is more like the classic goalkeeper. I think David is really multi-functional and a really complete goalkeeper. We are very happy with him.
Oh dear.
To give credit to Ten Hag, one of the strengths of his management has been his public morale-boosting musings of players he nonetheless has plans to move on. At the beginning of this season, Cristiano Ronaldo was praised by his manager even as he filled a space on the bench and moved towards the exit door. Similarly, Harry Maguire has received plentiful plaudits from Ten Hag even as he finds himself completely out of favour.
So, perhaps there are plans to look for an alternative long-term option to De Gea. When one sees the brilliance of goalkeepers such as Mike Maignan in AC Milan's progression through the Champions League, or even closer to home with David Raya's impressive performance for Brentford in the Premier League, it's hard not to wonder how much of an upgrade United could be in for.
Let's get one thing clear here - David de Gea should be remembered as one of Manchester United's greatest ever players. A crucial part of a Premier League winning team at only 22, de Gea then went on to comfortably sit as United's best player in the years after Alex Ferguson's departure. 2014-15 and, in particular, 2017-18 stand as all-time great individual seasons for the club, and his years of service have cemented his place in the club's history books.
David de Gea during the 2017 UEFA Super Cup between Manchester United and Real Madrid (Photo: Shutterstock)
Aside from the potential of the likes of Marcus Rashford or Bruno Fernandes to enter such a list in the future, de Gea is likely the only "club legend" to have had his best years post-Ferguson.
But the time for de Gea may now have come and passed. In a world where goalkeepers such as Ederson and Alisson Becker have redefined the number 1's role in team buildup, de Gea remains sub-par in buildup phases and, when coupled with United's lack of depth at the heart of defence, it makes for a worrying crux at the back.
Too many big games have been lost in recent years due to mistakes from de Gea, both from his passing game, and his tendency to allow cheap goals. The 2019 Champions League quarter-final, and 2020 FA Cup semi-final both stand out as examples of his tendency to make major mistakes in big games. However, unfortunately for de Gea, he is likely to be remembered for the 2021 Europa League final, in which he failed to save a single penalty from Villarreal in the shootout, before missing his own spot-kick to seal United's fate.
DAVID DE GEA MISSES! ❌
The Man United keeper sees his penalty saved and Villarreal have won the UEFA Europa League!#VILMUN | #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/X9nhdAqpbU— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) May 26, 2021
If the eye test of shocking big-game errors such as those in Seville or Gdansk 2021 does not convince football punters, then the statistics speak for themselves.
Despite his long-standing reputation as an "elite shot stopper," De Gea ranks only 14th in the league for percentage of shots saved this season, and 14th for goals prevented. Seville was one thing, but conceding seven goals from eight shots on target at Anfield, with Liverpool only racking up 2.91 in expected goals, is a far more damning event this season.
When the one facet of your game in which you were still seen as "world class" sees you ranking outside the top half of Premier League goalkeepers, it's clear that something is wrong.
As mentioned above, Ten Hag has been ruthless thus far this season in removing Cristiano Ronaldo from the equation, and has not been afraid to trust in new signings.
It may be tough for some Manchester United fans to admit, but perhaps the time has come for an alternative to David de Gea to be explored.
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