Alan Shearer and Ian Wright have suggested Manchester United should look into replacing David de Gea if they deem the goalkeeper a priority position in the summer.
De Gea is one of United’s longest serving players, having made north of 500 appearances for the club. That’s seen him enjoy some very good moments, such as winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup on two occasions and the Europa League.
While he’s been an integral part of the squad for years, he’s been in line for criticism of late.
Indeed, United lost 1-0 to West Ham United in their last fixture, with De Gea at the centre of attention after he spilled a rather tame Said Benrahma effort into the back of the net.
The loss meant fourth-placed United are now just a point above Liverpool, though they do have a game in hand. Wright thinks Champions League should be on their minds, with this mistake potentially a fatal one in reference to their qualification for the tournament.
“At some stage, Manchester United are going to have to look at that position,” he said on Premier League Productions.
“The concentration just isn’t there at times. Is it a priority position for them? Maybe it’s not. But that goal could cost them the Champions League.”
Along with the probe into the position, Wright feels other sides should be doing what they can to capitalise on playing against De Gea.
“Whenever you get bodies around him, he gets very, very shaky. I still can’t understand why teams don’t put in-swinging corners in to him at every single opportunity. He’s never comfortable in that situation.”
Wright’s punditry colleague, Shearer, is of the opinion United should think about signing a new goalkeeper, though with the caveat they’ll realistically look at other positions ahead of the goalkeeper.
“It was an absolute howler and his error has cost his team a point today. It’s not the first error he’s made this season either,” he said.
“It’s happened too many times this season. It’s a problem for Manchester United because he’s making too many of them.
“What they’ll have to look at in the summer is do they deem it a priority position or are there more important positions to look at?
“We don’t know how much they’ll have to spend but I’m sure there’s concerns in the management at the mistakes he keeps on making.”
READ MORE: Man Utd exploring De Gea replacement despite Ten Hag publicly backing goalkeeper after howler
