“Someone has put a curse on us” – De Gea admits he doesn’t know why Manchester United can’t ‘function’ as a unit

Speaking to El Pais, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea claimed that he doesn’t know what is going on at the club.

De Gea has by far been Manchester United’s best and most consistent performer this season. The 31-year-old goalkeeper has saved his team on multiple occasions and looks to be back to his best. However, the team’s struggles have continued in recent months and the overall atmosphere at the club remains unsettled.

De Gea appeared clueless during a recent interview, and joked that it seemed as if somebody had cursed the club. He said:

"I think someone has put a curse on us or something. The truth is I don't know what's going on, I really don't. People always ask me and we talk about it as team-mates and we just say 'we don't know what's happening'. We should have competed for more trophies, bigger titles, but I just don't know why this team doesn't function."

Manchester United have looked poor far too many times this season. That was also evident in the recent draw against Burnley, where the team dominated in the first half but were dominated in the second.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s appointment initially resulted in immediate improvement but in recent weeks have been disappointing. Manchester United are not scoring as much as they should and are conceding easy goals regularly.

David De Gea’s interview reveals grim reality behind Manchester United’s struggles

The rest of the transcript from David De Gea’s interview is sure to concern fans. The Spanish stopper leads the Premier League this season with 84 saves but claimed the stat was a negative one. He said:

"I don't know if that's a good thing Teams create a lot of chances against us. But that's what I'm here for: trying to stop goals, help the team however I can and this year things are going well in that regard.”

De Gea said that his defense knew it needed to do better, and claimed that it had proven difficult lately. He said:

"Ralf Rangnick wants us to be intense, to always press and be on the front foot. We know we have to defend better and we’re trying, but it’s hard.”

It is clear that there are humungous issues related to the higher management at the club. There are also obvious issues such as the lack of a defensive midfielder and the defensive inconsistency of club captain Harry Maguire. Manchester United also need to sign a new permanent manager and are also staring at the potential summer departures of multiple senior players.

The club still has a long way to go before it can compete with the best teams in England and Europe. De Gea has every right to regret the famous failed 2015 move to Real Madrid, considering United’s consistent failures to create an elite team.