#2 His predecessors played in better teams
Peter Schmeichel had class defenders like Jaap Stam and Gary Palister in front of him, Edwin van der Sar had the dynamic duo of Rio Ferdinard and Nemanja Vidic.
So, who does De Gea have? A choice between Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof. Not exactly a Hall of Fame class and the entire back four have been a weak spot for almost the entirety of his career at Old Trafford.
The major reason that’s a factor is that he’s had more to do than any other of those big name shot-stoppers. In fact, he now holds the joint-record for the most saves in a Premier League match with his 14 stops against Arsenal this season.
While there’s no denying there have been some world class players in De Gea’s squads and a goalkeeper’s quality shouldn’t be judged on those in front of him, it does help strengthen his case against his decorated competition.