Sky Sports Pundit Graeme Souness has picked Manchester United’s David de Gea as the Premier League’s best player for the calendar year. The Spain international has been in outstanding form for United, and Souness believes the shot-stopper has had a similar influence to the club’s forward players.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “[David De Gea’s] won them two trophies last season [EFL Cup and the Europa League]. It’s very easy for people to overlook how important a good goalkeeper is in a team.
“Goalkeepers win you trophies every bit as much as someone who puts the ball in the back of the net and runs away holding his hand aloft towards their supporters. I’m going for De Gea because he’s totally unassuming when he makes these great saves.”
De Gea has been named in PFA Team of the Year in each of the last three seasons, and the Spaniard is on course to make the best team once more after starring against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, where he earned United four valuable points.
The former Atleti graduate made a brilliant point-blank block to restrict Liverpool’s Joel Matip from scoring in a 0-0 draw, and he had a much better performance versus the Gunners, where he made a record-tying 14 saves to secure a 3-1 triumph for United.
United will be participating in the FA Cup and Champions League following the turn of the year, and the club’s chances of success in terms of silverware could be dependent on the showing of De Gea, who rarely has an average game between the sticks.
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