David de Gea’s time at Manchester United came to an end recently, with Erik ten Hag electing to not extend the Red Devils’ long-time number one’s contract.
After joining United as a skinny 20-year-old from Atletico Madrid in 2011, de Gea went on to prove himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and won five major honours with the club, including the 2012/13 English Premier League title.
De Gea is the most recent in a long line of ‘keepers to represent Manchester United in the English Premier League era, and here are our top five.
5 – Tim Howard
Appearing 44 times for Manchester United in the 2003/04 season after signing for the Red Devils from the MLS, Howard won the FA Cup in his first year in English football as United finished third in the EPL behind Arsenal’s invincibles and Chelsea. He shared the goalkeeping responsibilities with Northern Irishman Roy Carroll in the following season before leaving for Everton, where he really reached his peak.
4 – Fabien Barthez
French World Cup winner Fabien Barthez signed for Manchester United in 2000 and spent 4 years at the club, winning the EPL twice as Sir Alex Ferguson’s number one. Despite often making impressive saves in between the sticks, Barthez was known for his unique style of goalkeeping which often led to errors – most notably when he gifted fellow countryman Thierry Henry two goals in a huge game against rivals Arsenal in 2001.
3 – David de Gea
Over his twelve years at Manchester United, David de Gea made more world class saves than is possible to remember. Always considered a top level shot-stopper, de Gea improved his physicality over the course of his United career and reached his peak in the 2017/18 season, when he made an EPL record 14 saves in one match against Arsenal as United won a match that they truly didn’t deserve to.
2 – Edwin Van Der Sar
Always consistent in goal for United, Edwin van der Sar joined the club at 34-years-old from Fulham in 2005 and went on to become a cult hero for the club’s supporters. Van der Sar recorded a record 14 consecutive EPL clean sheets in the 2008/09 season on the way to his third consecutive championship. On top of that, he made a crucial penalty shootout save from Nicolas Anelka in 2008 as United beat Chelsea to win the UEFA Champions League, cementing himself as a legend at Old Trafford.
1 – Peter Schmeichel
After joining United in 1991 from Danish side Brondby, Peter Schmeichel went on to win five EPL titles, three FA Cups and captained the Red Devils to their historic treble-sealing UEFA Champions League victory in 1999. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Schmeichel was a huge presence in goal, with cat-like reflexes and an intimidation factor like few other ‘keepers. He also scored 11 goals over the course of his career, becoming the first EPL goalkeeper to find the back of the net in 2001.
Is the above list accurate? Let us know on our Social Media channels!
