As we approach the summer World Cup, few people in world football would deny that Manchester United and Spain number one David De Gea is the finest goalkeeper around.

With Manuel Neuer out injured with a broken foot and Gianluigi Buffon on his last legs with Juventus, De Gea has swooped in to sit atop the throne.

His presence makes Spain's starting XI even more formidable, with La Roja one of the hot favourites to claim glory in Russia.

In preparation for the international showpiece, Spain faced Germany in a very entertaining friendly on Saturday night, which ended 1-1 in Dusseldorf.

De Gea was at his formidable best, while Barcelona's Marc-Andre Ter Stegen also put on a masterclass in the opposing net.

However, what De Gea said after the match will certainly not go down well with football fans, with the United shot-stopper voicing some serious concerns with the World Cup ball - the Adidas Telstar 18.

De Gea was responding to comments made by Pepe Reina, with the former Liverpool man saying: "I bet you as much as you like that we'll see at least 35 goals from long range [in Russia], because it's impossible to work out.

"And it's covered in a plastic film that makes it difficult to hold on to. Goalkeepers are going to have a lot of problems with this ball."

De Gea agreed, calling the ball "really strange" adding: "It could have been made a lot better."

Not exactly what you want to hear, with fans well aware of the chaos the infamous Jabulani ball caused at the 2010 World Cup, which really hindered the success of the tournament.

Ter Stegen also agreed with his Spanish counterparts, saying: "The ball could be better; it moves a lot. But I think we're just going to have to get used to working with it, and try to get to grips with it as quickly as possible before the World Cup starts. We've got no other option."

If two of the best in the business are not happy with the ball, that surely doesn't bode well for the rest of the goalkeepers at the tournament.

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