In celebration of the sporting decade that is coming to a close, writers from The Athletic have been picking their teams of the 2010s — here, Laurie Whitwell names his Manchester United XI…



Goalkeeper: David de Gea



Indisputably the most consistent player of the decade. United struggled to adequately fill the hole left by Peter Schmeichel in 1999 but there was a smooth progression on from Edwin van der Sar, who was No 1 for the 2010-11 title win and 2011 Champions League final.



De Gea arrived that summer from Atletico Madrid and gets in ahead of the Dutchman by virtue of his repeatedly high standards. He won the Premier League in 2013 and the following season became the first goalkeeper to be named United’s Player of the Year. His personal total of four is the most since that prize’s inception.



“Dave Saves” became a meme for the frequency of De Gea’s improbable shot-stopping, and he could go on to become one...