De Gea has had to take a lot of flak from the critics

He hopes to underline that point by shutting out Cristiano Ronaldo in the Bernabeu tonight.

Spain’s Under-21 goalkeeper admits his adaptation to the more robust style of the English game has not been easy but believes he is a better player now than the one who left his home country.

De Gea’s outstanding form at Real’s neighbours Atletico prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to splash out £17.8 million on him in the summer of 2011.

De Gea, 22, said: “Of course, when you arrive at a new club and different league, it’s normal to have low points. It is a different style of football. But it’s important to learn from those bad moments and I feel I am a better keeper than when I arrived at United.

“Everyone knows how hard Ronaldo can hit the ball and how well he can play. It is very hard to defend his shots, but we are here to do this.

“He is unique, nobody hits it with such power, but we will do all we can to stop him.

“It’s better to have the second leg at Old Trafford, but that will count for nothing if we do not get a positive result here. We want to get to the second leg alive and with a chance.”

De Gea believes Real are weaker without the vast experience of their long-serving keeper Iker Casillas.

The Spain captain is out with a broken hand after being kicked accidentally by team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa in the Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg at Valencia. De Gea said: “Every time Iker is not there, something big is missing. Real have two other great keepers and they will do well, I’m sure, but Casillas will be a great loss.”

De Gea sat alongside Ferguson at last night’s pre-match press conference. And amid suggestions United could buy another goalkeeper this summer – Stoke’s Asmir Begovic being the favourite – he will have been heartened by the words of encouragement from his manager, who likened his tricky start in England to a toddler learning to walk.

“Obviously the boy has shown his character because he has taken a lot of criticism and sometimes it has been unfair,” said Ferguson.

“But what we are good at doing at Manchester United is developing players. He came to us a young boy, who couldn’t speak English. He was not used to the English game and still to mature physically.

“Its like a young kid learning to walk. They have a few wobbles, fall over, get up again and then they take their first steps. Well, the boy is walking now.”

De Gea did not enjoy the best of fortunes against Real in his Atletico days. But if he shuts out Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Co he will have really come of age.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, will watch tonight’s blockbuster cursing the two that got away.

He has revealed goalkeepers from both Manchester United and Real Madrid could have been at the DW Stadium instead.

Martinez has often spoken about how he tried to land De Gea in 2010, when he was an unknown in Atletico Madrid’s reserves. Now he has lifted the lid on an attempt to get Real’s Antonio Adan, who is set to be on the bench at the Bernabeu with new signing Diego Lopez from Sevilla likely to start.

“Antonio was playing in the Real Madrid B side at the time and we had a look at him before we signed Ali Al-Habsi,” said Martinez.

“He was in a long-term contract at Real and he had to be allowed out on loan.

“He wasn’t going to be in the first team and he wanted to come to us but Real wouldn’t let him leave.”

Martinez came agonisingly close to landing De Gea after scouting him before he made his professional debut, only for Atletico to pull out of the deal at the last minute.

Martinez has watched both goalkeepers in slightly less glamorous surroundings than the Bernabeu.

He said: “There was a good generation of goalkeepers in the B sides at the time. I watched a B game between Real and Atletico and Adan was playing for Real and David de Gea for Atletico.”