De Gea proves his Man United mettle

MANCHESTER, England — David de Gea may appear surplus to requirements for Spain but he remains pivotal to Erik ten Hag's plans at Manchester United.

The goalkeeper was outstanding in United's 1-0 win against West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday, producing three spectacular saves to provide the perfect response to reports in Spain that he has been cut from his nation's World Cup squad.

On a day when Marcus Rashford scored his 100th goal for United, it was De Gea who ensured the victory that moved Ten Hag's team up to fifth in the English Premier League.

Unbeaten in its last eight games in all competitions, United is one point behind fourth-placed Newcastle in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"You don't be Manchester United's No 1 for that length of time if you're not a fantastic goalkeeper," West Ham manager David Moyes said. "He made two brilliant saves today for them and probably saved them from that point of view but it's disappointing for us that we didn't score because we put them under enough pressure."

De Gea denied Michail Antonio, Kurt Zouma and Declan Rice after a late onslaught from the Hammers.

They were the type of heroics United has become accustomed to over his 11 years at the club, with his shot-stopping capabilities never in question.

But there have been questions over his ability to play out from the back with his feet, which has increasingly become a requirement for modern keepers.

That has contributed to him losing his place in the Spain team, with reports claiming he will miss out on Qatar. It has also raised doubts about his long-term future at United, with Ten Hag known for his determination to use a keeper who can help build up play from defense.

But United's manager is convinced De Gea can meet all of his demands.

"First thing for the goalkeeper is to protect the goal and make sure you don't concede goals," Ten Hag said. "In that fact he is magnificent. But with the feet he has capabilities as well.

"I am convinced he can do it. The games so far he proved it and he will improve in that part."

De Gea is out of contract at the end of the season, but United has the option to extend that by a further 12 months.

"It is clear already, and I have already emphasized it several times, I am really happy with David," Ten Hag said.

"He is a great goalkeeper. He is only 31. He is fit. He can progress even more.

"He was already impressive for Man United and I think he will do that in the future as well."

Rashford's 38th-minute strike saw him arrive at a personal landmark, becoming the first United player to reach a century of goals since all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney.

The England striker rose to meet Christian Eriksen's cross from the right to power a header past Lukasz Fabianski.

'Beautiful feeling'

Rashford has been one of United's most improved players this season after a particularly underwhelming campaign last term.

But the 24-year-old is still not guaranteed a place on England's flight to Qatar for the World Cup in November.

Rashford, who was left out of England's most recent Nations League squad, took the chance to remind Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate of his qualities with a fine display capped by the first-half winner at Old Trafford.

With Southgate watching from the stands, Rashford's seventh goal in all competitions this season was perfectly timed before the England manager names his World Cup squad.

"It's a beautiful feeling. It's been on my mind the last couple of games. I've been waiting for it to come and thankfully it did today," Rashford said.

"I feel I need to score more goals like that and keep getting in those areas. It's always good to score regardless of whether Gareth Southgate is watching or not."

After netting against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League on Thursday, Rashford said Ten Hag was a "joy" to play for as he hailed the United manager's role in his revival.

"It's a completely different energy around the whole club and training ground. That for a start puts me in a better head space," Rashford said.

"I just feel really motivated now. Last year I struggled at times with things off the pitch and wasn't mentally right."

United had chances to add to its lead early in the second half, with Cristiano Ronaldo failing with a header inside the box and firing two more decent chances wide.

That gave West Ham encouragement and Said Benrahma saw a low shot saved by De Gea, while Lisandro Martinez stole the ball away from Craig Dawson when the defender looked set to score.

De Gea was in action again to tip over Antonio's long-range effort in the final 10 minutes and produced an even better save to palm away Zouma's header.

Fred could have made it a much more comfortable finish to the game for United when heading against the post in the 86th.

That was before one final push from West Ham — Jarrod Bowen's injury-time effort was blocked and De Gea came to the rescue again to save Rice's long-range shot.

Ten Hag was underwhelmed by United's overall performance, saying: "I think we have to manage that better, it is clear.

"Second-half possession was quite poor and it became what I call a tennis match, going from one side to the other. But the spirit in the team is great."

Agencies