An open letter to David de Gea from a Manchester United fan

A Manchester United fan writes to David de Gea

Dear Dave,

Before I even begin to try to convince you to stay at Old Trafford, I must admit that I wasn’t your greatest fan when you were first bought. I had only heard of your exploits at Atletico Madrid and how you were Spain’s next big thing. But the media always tend to exaggerate player potential and I thought this was one of those instances.

But, with Van der Sar retiring, Man United needed to invest in a keeper and Sir Alex decided to get you from Spain for a huge fee. You were hardly 19 and had no real experience, barring a brilliant season at the Vicente Calderon. And, to be honest, you didn’t look intimidating either.

I like big, intimidating goalkeepers. They always put a fear in the minds of strikers, especially in one-on-one situations. Peter Schmeichel was intimidating. Van der Sar was intimidating. Oliver Kahn was intimidating. You were just a lean, skinny 19-year-old.

The first few games were enough for me to judge you. I’m usually a huge optimist and support my players no matter how bad they play. But a goalkeeper who couldn’t handle a long ball, who couldn’t force his way past six bodies to go catch the ball from a corner, a keeper who always looked shaky at every shot on target was inexcusable. It almost looked like we were playing with 10 men on the field.

I had never seen United concede six in a game and when Balotelli and co. put six past you, I had had enough. True, our defence was in shambles on the day but I expect a top goalkeeper to do some damage control. It reminded me of the horror days we had once Schmeichel had left. Roy Carroll, Tim Howard, Fabien Barthez all came and went and none were good enough to replace him.

In my head, you were not a top goalkeeper and were never going to become one. The only positive, if any, was that you were a good shot-stopper but you were in no way intimidating, and in England you needed to be big and brave to succeed.

What happened over the course of the next two-three years is nothing short of a miracle. You just won Manchester United’s Player of the Year award for a second consecutive year, single handedly won us games last season and are one of the primary reasons we will be playing in the Champions League next season.

The best players in the league i.e. the likes of Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling have all been denied goals from one-one situations thanks to your shot stopping abilities and presence of mind. From being ridiculed, you are now a fan favourite and have a chant about how big and brave you are. Quite a turnaround, that!

And when you put in performances like those, the best clubs across the world take notice. There are a few clubs as big as Manchester United. One of them, of course, are Real Madrid, who have over the past decade, taken more than their fair share of players from United and again, they want to steal us of our most prized possession.

Is De Gea Casillas’s replacement, both for club and country?

For you, it must make absolute logical sense to move to Madrid, your hometown. Friends and family are the reason I still work in my hometown and I can understand why you might want to go back to Madrid. You would also be replacing Iker Casillas, a Real Madrid and Spain icon, and probably your idol as you were growing up.

But how good would this move be for your career? True, Real Madrid are more of a powerhouse currently in Europe than United, but they are also a team that do not give a player the time and space to develop. They demand instant success at all costs, always.

Gareth Bale went there with high expectations as the costliest player in the world, and after a stellar first season, saw himself getting booed by their own fans last season for having a temporary dip in form. Casillas, himself, was booed after some poor performances.

Compare that to the fans of Manchester United. We keep supporting our players regardless of their form, which in turn, motivates the players to raise their performances. Fellaini and Ashley Young are both proper examples of that.

While you would not go into our hate books should you decide to leave, you certainly will be breaking a lot of hearts. The club will move on, shell out a few millions, buy another top goalkeeper and life will be normal for us fans again. But will it, for you?

Yours truly,A Manchester United supporter.