Manchester United's current number one David de Gea hasn't been without his fair share of mistakes during his tenure with the Red Devils. The Spaniard came particularly under-fire for his frankly horrendous performance against Thomas Frank's Brentford on Saturday. United were picked apart 4-0 by The Bees, with De Gea playing apart in all four of the hosts strikes.
It isn't the first time United's long-term shot-stopper has been criticised for his poor form. Notable mistakes against London sides Watford and Arsenal have plagued the Spaniard's time with United. That being said, there is no doubt that De Gea was once a top player. During the two-year stretch between 2015 and 2017, United's number one was without doubt one of the world's best player; let alone goalkeepers.
Xhaka and scoring screamers vs United 🤝 pic.twitter.com/DNc4P5XMDp
— Ciarán McLoughlin 🇮🇪 (@Ciaran_Mc_1) January 1, 2020
In comes back-up Dean Henderson. The Englishman is an academy product of United's, who has always been on the brink of the first-team. He is of an entirely different profile to De Gea, he is a very positive and front-footed goalkeeper. The argument between De Gea and Henderson has only heightened in the days following both players' performances at the weekend.
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Where does David de Gea fall foul?
Every Premier League fan knows that De Gea is an excellent shot-stopper, unfortunately for United this isn't all that is needed for a modern day 'keeper.
New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag likes his goalkeeper's to be part of his sides build-up play. The best example of this is Cameroonian stopper Andre Onana, who he had in net during his time at former club Ajax. He was a key part of the Dutch side's 'total-football' philosophy, regularly providing an outlet for his defence.
Alongside his excellent distribution, Onana is fantastic at sweeping up behind his defenders. Ever since sweeping was popularised by the enigmatic German that is Manuel Neuer, it has become a more and more valued part of a goalkeeper's skillset.
According to football data site fbref.com, David de Gea ranked in the bottom five percent of 'keepers in Europe when it comes to defensive actions outside the box; at only 0.26 per 90. During his season on loan with Sheffield United, Henderson averaged 0.46 actions outside the box, and a staggering 1.12 while filling in for United a season later.
With centre-backs Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez struggling with the long-ball against Brentford and Brighton, particularly, a proactive goalkeeper would help to paper over the cracks. Dean Henderson is a far more vocal 'keeper than De Gea also, thus instilling more confidence in his defenders.
Perhaps the biggest downside to De Gea's game is his abysmal distribution. During his run as United number one, Henderson managed to complete 75% of the passes he attempted, while De Gea averages around a 70% pass completion rate. Henderson offers a far more complete passing range than De Gea as well; a key example of this was his long-ball against West Ham United for United, that resulted in a goal for the Red Devils.
There have been countless examples of De Gea misplacing easy passes or putting his teammates under a pressure. An example of this came as recently as Saturday, when De Gea tied Dane Christian Eriksen all ends up, resulting in Mathias Jensen's second for The Bees. This isn't helped by De Gea's lack of ability when it comes to claiming crosses. The Spaniard stops just 3.4% of crosses per 90, ranking him in the bottom four percent of goalkeepers across Europe. All of this contributes to United constantly putting themselves under pressure.
Dean Henderson is a very confident goalkeeper. He regularly comes to claim crosses, stopping on average 7.7% of crosses that enter the penalty area. This highlights how the Englishman fits the mould of a modern-day goalkeeper, and unfortunately displays how De Gea isn't sustainable in an Erik ten Hag system.
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Is Dean Henderson really the answer?
While Dean Henderson would be better suited for Erik ten Hag's system he is by no means a perfect fit. David de Gea is a far superior shot-stopper than the Englishman. While Henderson isn't necessarily a bad 'keeper in terms of stopping shots, the Spaniard was single- handedly the reason United won most of the games they did.
However, there are plenty of goalkeepers United could look to bring in to take the starting berth. An ideal pick for United would be AC Milan 'keeper Mike Maignan. The Frenchman averaged a staggering 11.4% crosses stopped last season, which places him in the top 5% of goalkeepers across Europe. He also averaged an almost 80% pass completion rate last-term, far better than both De Gea and Henderson.
Unfortunately, he would most likely be priced out of a move to the Red Devils. An underrated and affordable option for United would be Sevilla man Yassine Bounou. The Moroccan is valued at £16.2million by website transfermarkt.net. This price isn't a red herring either, Bounou averages more crosses claimed than both De Gea and Henderson; clocking in at a healthy 8.5%. on top of this, Bounou's pass completion rate is at a healthy 76%, while also ranking in the top 1% of goalkeepers for save percentage.
Like De Gea, however, Bounou is 31-years old. While he will likely still have many more years at the top, Dean Henderson being just 25-years old is a bonus for the Englishman. Undoubtedly, United need to sort their goalkeeping fragility.
Whether they stick with Henderson largely hinges on his loan spell with Nottingham Forest, however don't be shocked if you see the charismatic Englishman finally claiming the number one shirt off of David de Gea next season.