Dropping David de Gea is likely to make things worse – but it might be best for Manchester United Being out of form as a goalkeeper becomes a battle against your own psyche and it is one De Gea is clearly losing as the summer nears

OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — There is no place to hide. The groans are deafening, subsequent silence just as unpleasant. Nobody dares look you straight in the eye, damnation through a thousand half glances. Being a goalkeeper can often feel like being in a team of one. There’s nothing as lonely as being isolated in a team sport.

If a central midfielder is out of form, they can play simple passes. If a defender is struggling, he will opt for safety and clear the ball long until steadied. A striker might choose to strike the ball with power rather than placement, blasting his way out of a rut. Goalkeepers have no island. The spotlight shines on them and them alone.

Just as cruel is that a goalkeeper’s mistake is magnified more than any of his teammates. A striker can atone for a simple missed chance by finishing his next chance and end the affair with reputation enhanced and congratulatory headlines earned. A goalkeeper is not afforded the same luxury. One mistake is worth roughly five pieces of excellence.

The i newsletter latest news and analysis Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Mind games

Watching David de Gea in his pre-match warm-ups was to witness a goalkeeper in great comfort. Every shot was held or tipped wide of the post, every cross delivered into the box held before being returned with an accurate pass.

But there is no way to recreate the pressure of an in-game scenario, and no way to escape the theory that mistakes only make mistakes more likely. Being out of form as a goalkeeper becomes a battle against your own psyche. A momentary delay leads to a hand being slightly out of position. That’s the difference between hold and spill, save and goal, success and failure.

Three months ago, any notion that De Gea could be dropped by Manchester United would have been met with snorts of laughter from supporters who considered their goalkeeper as their standout performer. De Gea had struggled during his recent appearances for the Spanish national team, but he had been named in the PFA Team of the Year in five of the last six seasons. When all else wilted like sodden cardboard around him, Dave saved.

Now De Gea is the accused rather than the victim. After almost nine hours without scoring a goal in open play, Manchester United finally clicked into gear against Chelsea. Juan Mata, one of United’s strugglers this season, scored as his team shone in the first 30 minutes. But the bubble of self-belief was burst again by their flailing goalkeeper. Antonio Rudiger’s shot from distance was desperate, but Maurizio Sarri’s players had been told to chase down De Gea. This might be his worst mistake yet.

Uncertainty and the future

Judging when to take goalkeepers out of the limelight is incredibly difficult. Were De Gea an outfielder, he would already have spent a game or two on the bench while a teammate deputised. But changing a goalkeeper feels inherently significant, as if a line is being drawn. That feeds back into the importance of confidence. Chopping and changing goalkeepers is only likely to make a situation worse, so any change must be allowed to run its course.

Manchester United’s recruitment over the last half decade has been disastrous, but they have managed their goalkeepers well. Sergio Romero has made seven league appearances in almost four years, but he is an exceptionally able deputy very capable of stepping into the breach. There’s little doubt that Romero would produce better than De Gea’s current output.

And then there’s the contract situation, the brainworm that niggles away in the back of every Manchester United supporter’s mind. There is no suggestion that De Gea is distracted by the uncertainty over his future, but it’s hardly the stuff of outrageous conspiracy theory. De Gea will leave Old Trafford with the thanks of supporters ringing in his ears, but if these are to be his final weeks then it makes dropping him a more palatable prospect.

Follow us on Twitter: @iPaperSport

There is an easy – and hardly outlandish – end to all this nonsense: De Gea quickly regains his majesty. This is far more likely to be a blip than decline. But that doesn’t stop the questions being asked at increasing volume and the answers harder to be sure of.

For six years, De Gea has set the standard at Old Trafford. There is stiff competition to be considered Manchester United’s most emphatic underperformer, but De Gea is running the dross close.