Why Manchester United will be the ultimate winners from David De Gea error at Everton

The dread has gone for Manchester United supporters.

David De Gea’s lackadaisical blocked clearance at Everton not only created a 1-0 deficit in infuriating fashion, it also signalled the definitive end of enduring worries about his future.

Much of the Spain goalkeeper’s nine-year stint at Old Trafford has been stained by lingering contract talks and incessant links away. Supporters became fraught as the threat grew of their sole world-class performer securing an exit – never more so than August 2015’s infamous paperwork farrago that terminated a switch to Real Madrid.

Sunday’s shambolic goal from Dominic Calvert-Lewin caused rage to erupt. A staggering late stop from Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 1-1 draw then hallmarked a rare athleticism.

In the fullness of time, both moments provide novel serenity.

The 29-year-old’s repeat fallibility, plus Dean Henderson’s sustained brilliance on loan at Sheffield United, should make United supporters sanguine about a potential summer departure.

Yet if he stays, can anyone beyond Alisson, Ederson or Marc-Andre ter Stegen be earmarked as an indubitable superior?

This is a rare position of relative strength for a team that remains in flux, despite Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes’ enlivening impact.

THE CASE FOR HENDERSON

De Gea’s mindless rick came with the damning caveat that it wasn’t even a surprise.

Opta statistics showed that he has made the joint-most errors that led directly to a Premier League goal – seven – by a goalkeeper since the start of 2018/19.

These include April 2019’s consequential gift to Marcos Alonso when Antonio Rudiger’s harmless shot was flimsily dealt with, a goal to ultimately propel Chelsea back into the Champions League and keep United out. Last December would then witness the inexplicable sight of Ismaila Sarr’s mishit shot bouncing through inviting arms and going in off his face.

Throw in high-profile catastrophes for Spain throughout the World Cup 2018 cycle and a conclusion about long-term decline is inescapable. It feels a lifetime ago that De Gea was held up as the globe’s outstanding shot stopper in the wake of December 2017’s heroic 14-save display at Arsenal.

It is fortunate, then, that the Premier League’s most-promising shot stopper remains under contract.

Henderson has blossomed with the Blades. The 22-year-old helped them to unlikely promotion last term and a subsequent remarkable rise to eighth in the standings – two points and three places behind his employers with 28 matches played.

With hubris infecting Jordan Pickford at Everton, he may yet become England’s No1 at Euro 2020.

In most barometers on PremierLeague.com, Henderson is outperforming his distinguished competitor in the 2019/20 top flight. The younger man has kept more clean sheets (nine/seven), conceded fewer goals (22/30), boasts a better saves-success percentage (75/70.6), saved more penalties (one/zero), produced more high claims (15/5) and made more sweeper clearances (five/three).

Impressive strength of character has also followed manager Chris Wilder’s public dressing down that Henderson needed “to concentrate more” and he wouldn’t “put my arms around him” in the wake of September’s clanger at Liverpool when Georginio Wijnaldum’s tame effort slipped through his legs. Similar calamities had been registered in the Championship and the 2019 European Under-21 Championship; all now appear formative.

Suitors surround such a prospect – Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea have all been mentioned. A decision is fast approaching about whether to herald another goalkeeping dynasty at Old Trafford, or maintain the status quo.

Is Henderson’s case strong enough?

CLASS IS PERMANENT

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was unequivocal in his support post-match on Merseyside.

“He [De Gea] went through a difficult patch last season, definitely, but he has been very, very good this season,’ said Solskjaer. “I can’t remember any errors that I would go to now apart from the Watford one this season – I trust David 100 per cent.”

A weight of history and exalted standing is possessed by De Gea.

His list of individual honours is astounding; 2018 FIFA FIFPro World XI, four consecutive (five in total) PFA Team of the Year sides from 2015 to 2018 and first player in United colours to claim three-successive Sir Matt Busby Player of the Years (four in total).

The £18.9 million paid to Atletico Madrid in June 2011 remains an unalloyed snip. No matter the smattering of slips.

De Gea has, albeit with added anxiety caused by prolonged contract negotiations, remained loyal to a club in the doldrums. It is correct that United continue to stand by him.

There is also the unavoidable summation that Henderson’s acclimatisation would feature the same growing pains that De Gea experienced nine years ago. Is a repeat worthwhile, when the end result isn’t guaranteed?

Pragmatism and financial reality are also at play.

De Gea is paid too much (£375,000 per week) to sit on the bench behind a usurper, yet his travails mean admirers at a requisite fee to eclipse the world-record €80m paid for Chelsea’s overpriced Kepa Arrizabalaga are few – if any.

WHAT NEXT?

Praise for Henderson by Solskjaer on Sunday was interestingly, and deftly, shrouded in support for the incumbent No1.

He said: “We want the best possible squad for Manchester United and Dean is our player. He is doing really well at the moment and the day he comes back he is fighting to play here as well.

“But, for me, David has shown here his reaction, the way he made amends and saved Sigurdsson’s chance at the end.

“David is for me the best goalkeeper in the world. Dean is a very good challenger and Sergio [Romero] is a decent challenger also.

“We want a squad that is full of quality and with competition. If you want to survive at the top you need to bounce off competition right left and centre.”

Truthfulness is not always present in press conferences.

But if Henderson can be convinced to challenge De Gea during 2020/21, United will boast the perfect competitive environment. A truly phenomenal successor will emerge, or the king will reclaim his crown.

A rare win, surely, in a near decade of transfer-market disappointment.