Owen Hargreaves, a former midfielder for Manchester United, has made it clear that Erik ten Hag needs to get rid of David de Gea in order to play the style of game he prefers at Old Trafford.
After United’s humiliating 3-0 loss to Sevilla, which officially eliminated the Red Devils from the Europa League, Hargreaves was speaking.
Sevilla, who was only too glad about the free goals given to them, savagely punished De Gea for his egregious errors.
The Spanish club put De Gea’s flaws on full display, and Hargreaves believes that De Gea’s limitations make him an unsatisfactory fit for Ten Hag’s approach to the game.
Ten Hag has in the past made it apparent that he prefers contemporary goalkeepers who can sweep, play with their feet, and control their boxes by claiming crosses. All of these are areas where De Gea egregiously fails.
But the United manager has made it clear time and time again that he likes working with De Gea and wants to keep doing so.
Ten Hag continued to defend De Gea after the Sevilla defeat, arguing that the 32-year-old is a world-class shot-stopper still capable of competing at the greatest level because he now leads the Premier League in clean-sheet totals.
David de Gea has been a tremendous servant for this football club, according to Hargreaves, who spoke to BT Sport. Both as a custodian and a shot blocker, he has excelled.
“But he is not good with his feet, as it was evident both tonight and on many other occasions this season. Erik Ten Hag wants to play out; he wants to touch the ball and begin playing. That’s where the first goal came from and to a lesser extent the third goal.
They are significant incidents that they certainly need to address, Hargreaves continued. Is he compatible with Erik ten Hag’s ideology, then? Today, you would respond, “No, it didn’t look right.
"I think he was making the whole team nervous!"
"It's a question of: does he fit Erik ten Hag's philosophy?"
Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves break down David De Gea's performance vs. Sevilla and his future at Man Utd 🧤
🎙️ @julesbreach #UEL pic.twitter.com/cWZmlU5ZqS
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 20, 2023
Hargreaves remarked that United squandered a two-goal lead in the second half at Old Trafford, which allowed Sevilla to get back into the game.
Before entering the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, according to the former United player, the match was already over.
“At Old Trafford, this was dropped in the second half. They might have had a three or four-nil lead. They might have been hidden. They were disciplined instead tonight.
The FA Cup semifinal matchup between United and Brighton at Wembley on Sunday is now the focus for the Red Devils.