Manchester United's 24-year-old Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea has publicly stated that playing behind a shaky United defence so far this campaign has helped to make him a better goalkeeper. The club have made their worst start to a league season since 1986, and de Gea has been one of their brightest performers so far.
The United defence has been make-shift to say the least, with the likes of Valencia, Blind and Carrick all shifting into defence at times whilst youngsters Paddy McNair, Luke Shaw and Tyler Blackett have all been under pressure to perform as Louis van Gaal's side have struggled this season.
With the likes of first-team regulars Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones all being sidelined due to injury/suspension at one time or another, The Red Devils have not had the best luck to say the least. De Gea, however, has adapted well regardless, with 24 saves and 3 clean sheets in 11 games against the likes of Leicester, Chelsea and Manchester City, showing how good the Spanish international actually is. Many comparisons have been made to United legend Peter Schmeichel, who made almost 300 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's side between 1991 and 1999, with an intimidating but consistent reputation in between the sticks.
De Gea had this to say: "I have never known this in the past, we've had so much bad luck and it's made it difficult to maintain the high level of consistency and performance that we need. As a keeper it's important to form a good understanding with your back four and become familiar with each other's positions on the pitch. It's difficult when the players aren't there - but you have to adapt and concentrate on your job. The experience has definitely helped me improve."