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David De Gea: Three replacements for Manchester United to consider
David de Gea has made a career out of making showreel-worthy saves at Manchester United. This season has been no different.
- Published prior to the Gameweek 37 fixtures
Lying in the backdrop of those awe-inspiring moments are one to forget and weaknesses that continue to be exposed by opponents with each passing gameweek.
The Spaniard's latest mistake between the sticks led to a goal for Said Benrahma at the London Stadium, the Hammers downed Erik ten Hag's side with a 1-0 win.
Despite his errors costing United vital points, the United boss has been adamant in his backing.
"As a team, you have to deal with it and bounce back. It's a team sport. Like you said, over the season, he's the person with the most clean sheets. Everyone has to take responsibility," said the Dutchman.
While the responsibility is everybody's to share, it's clear that De Gea's weaknesses are only going to become more evident if he remains the undisputed number one at the club.
Therefore, it is crucial to look for replacements if they truly wish to dominate opponents and look towards challenging for the title at some point in Ten Hag's reign.
David Raya
This feels like an obvious shout, but Brentford's David Raya has to be the first choice pick for United this summer.
The 27-year-old is part of the Spanish national team setup alongside fellow Premier League keepers in Kepa Arrizabalaga and Robert Sanchez.
With his contract expiring in the summer of 2024, it will be now or never for Raya to make a call on his career and take a step to the next level.
With his qualities as a modern goalkeeper, being just as comfortable in stopping shots as well as passing the ball, Raya fits Ten Hag's setup perfectly.
Brentford's direct approach starts with Raya at the back. Without his speed of thought in distribution and often accurate passing, they would be far less threatening in unsettled moments during matches.
The Spaniard is almost like a fourth centre back at times for Brentford's back three and is always ready to receive the ball, almost encouraging his defenders to give the responsibility of possession to him.
It is hugely impressive the distance and power Raya is able to generate on his long-passes or goal-kicks too.
He doesn't take long in deciding where he wants passes to go, which sometimes becomes a detriment to his game, but more often than not, Raya gets it right.
His composure on the ball against forwards pressing him is skilful as well, he is almost Alisson-like in this regard.
🧤 David Raya has made more saves (142) than any other goalkeeper in Europe's top 5 leagues this season pic.twitter.com/NakFh9TaY0
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 8, 2023
For all his qualities as a modern keeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, Raya also has strong fundamentals in his arsenal.
In fact, as per Opta, he is third amongst Premier League keepers for goals prevented rate, behind Alisson and Bernd Leno for this metric.
All in all, given his age and contract situation, Raya is a no-brainer for Ten Hag and United.
Andre Onana
A former Ajax player who blossomed under Ten Hag thanks to his ability with the ball, Andre Onana is now showing Italian attackers the best of his talents in Serie A with Inter Milan.
The 27-year-old has gone from second fiddle to Samir Handanovic to becoming the undisputed starter for Simone Inzaghi's side of late.
Onana joined Inter from Ajax in the summer of 2022, after playing a key part in two different Ten Hag teams that left a mark in Europe.
The Cameroonian's strengths are in possession and he is another whose profile very much fits the modern mould of goalkeepers that we see at elite sides.
Inzaghi's Inter aren't quick and direct but rather slow and patient in possession, only Napoli have attempted more passes than the Nerazzurri this season.
Therefore, it is key to have players who are comfortable playing lots of short passes, inviting pressure and then breaking those opposition lines with well-timed passes, Onana does all of that and more.
Inter are in the Champions League semi-finals thanks mostly to the shot-stopping exploits of Onana, who was crucial in their round of 16 defeat of Porto, a 1-0 aggregate victory taking them through.
In possession, Onana is almost like a midfielder. This season, only two keepers in Italy's top-flight have attempted more passes per match than Onana, who is seeing 35.6 passes per 95 this season.
Whether it be line-breaking passes or long accurate punts into the channels to the likes of Lautaro Martinez or Romelu Lukaku, Onana's range is supreme.
A reunion with Ten Hag could be tempting for him given the two enjoyed a positive relationship for the most part before things went sour by the end of his spell at the Dutch club.
Brice Samba
Lastly, we look at Lens keeper and former Nottingham Forest promotion hero, Brice Samba.
The 29-year-old has had an eventful year or so, helping Steve Cooper's side to the promised land of Premier League football with his penalty shootout heroics.
And now, he is helping Lens return to the Champions League after a long absence.
As if that wasn't enough, Samba is also now part of Didier Deschamps' French national team, alongside Mike Maignan.
Despite his age, Samba hasn't played that many games at the top level throughout his career - with Forest being the first team he made 50+ appearances for.
Samba profiles similarly to Onana in many ways, with both keepers playing behind a back three generally.
At Lens, Samba combines his composure on the ball with exceptional shot-stopping ability during big moments.
Brice Samba - Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper this season? pic.twitter.com/0ZUeuAjWds
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) May 8, 2023
When compared with his fellow Ligue 1 goalkeeping peers, Samba stands out in a number of metrics included % of crosses stopped, passes attempted per match as well as sweeping actions per match.
Samba is commanding in the box and is more than comfortable in negating the opposition's high press by making himself available for the ball for his centre-backs to pass to.
His shot-stopping ability itself has been a massive positive for Lens this season, with Samba saving at least six goals according to Opta's goals prevented metric. Only three other keepers in Ligue 1 have prevented more.
He rejected the dream of Premier League football for a French adventure but if United come calling, Samba may be tempted into returning to England.
Stylistically, he ticks a lot of boxes in what Ten Hag typically demands from his keepers in possession. Adding to that his excellent shot-stopping ability makes Samba a perfectly viable option to replace De Gea.
