Gary Neville calls on Manchester United to sign 'exceptional' goalkeeper to replace David De Gea

ByEurosport

Published 14/02/2021 at 08:57 GMT

Manchester United trail Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table by eight points and David De Gea was in the spotlight for his part in a couple of goals Everton scored in the 3-3 draw with the Red Devils last weekend. There is mounting pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to make changes in goal.

David de Gea of Manchester United walks off after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton

Image credit: Getty Images

Gary Neville has called on Manchester United to sign a new goalkeeper if they are to mount a title challenge in the Premier League.

United have confounded their critics this term by making a push for the title, although they are likely to come up short in the face of a relentless onslaught from Manchester City.

The Red Devils dropped points in a 3-3 draw with Everton last weekend, with many feeling David De Dea was at fault for two of the goals.

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Those were not isolated errors from De Gea, and Neville believes change needs to be made in goal at Old Trafford - as he is not convinced by the Spaniard’s understudy, Dean Henderson.

"Your goalkeeper, to win a league, has got to be exceptional," Neville told

. "I said three or four years ago, Jurgen Klopp took me on publicly, but you’re not going to win a league with [Loris] Karius and [Simon] Mignolet.

"That’s not to say they’re not good goalkeepers, or decent goalkeepers, but which team do you know that wins a league…there might be the odd one, but they usually have great goalkeepers, or goalkeepers that have had a great season.

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"Ederson is a great goalkeeper, Petr Cech, [Peter] Schmeichel, [Edwin] Van der Sar, even Kasper Schmeichel for Leicester, David Seaman, Alisson, you’ve got to have a great goalkeeper.

"We have to start asking questions about David De Gea. The mistakes are coming more regularly now and they cost points.

"The game-winning saves are coming less, the one-on-one saves are coming less. I think that has to be a question that Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] has to answer.

"Then there’s the question of Henderson, are we saying that Henderson is going to be the number one for Manchester United?

What I would say is if Pep Guardiola or Klopp came into Man Utd in six months' time, they’d bring a new goalkeeper in.

"That might be tough on Henderson, but to chance it - do you gamble with winning the league? That's the first question, is the 'keeper right? That's number one, deal with the 'keeper situation.

"Your goalkeeper, to win a league, has got to be exceptional.”