5 of the best Manchester United players in the last 10 years

#1 David de Gea

De Gea has been exceptional since he arrived at the club

Old Trafford has witnessed some of the greatest goalkeepers in the world. Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van der Sar had delighted the fans with their performances over the past two decades.

After Van der Sar left, Sir Alex had the headache of finding a man to guard the posts for United. The Red Devils then signed a young and inexperienced David de Gea from Atletico Madrid.

The young lad took a lot of time to adapt to the conditions in England.

He had a forgettable first couple of months as he let in some easy goals and failed to arrange the backline well. He let many goals go in through set pieces and doubts were raised over his place in the team.

However, as Sir Alex does best, he put complete faith in de Gea to come out on top.

The gaffer was always sure about his talent and knew that once the Spaniard settled, he would become an asset to the team.

According to Sir Alex, de Gea was even unable to drive before he shifted to England. This shows how young he was when he switched countries.

After Fergie left, de Gea did actually come of age to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He has single-handedly helped the team to avoid embarrassing defeats and regularly makes breathtaking saves to keep his team in games.

The former Atletico man has matured over the years and there is a commanding vibe that comes with him every time he takes to the field.

He leads from the back and has made it increasingly difficult for the opposition to get the ball past him.

De Gea possesses great athleticism that helps him make amazing saves. His performances against big clubs have been great as well.

The one negative from his stay at Old Trafford has been the constant interest that Real Madrid has had in him. De Gea nearly made a move to Bernabeu on transfer deadline day in 2015 but has gone on to establish himself at Old Trafford.

He signed a new contract in September 2015, which will keep him in the club for the next two seasons with an option of extending it to another year.

With the kind of respect he has from the fans, it should not be a surprise if the custodian spends his entire career at Old Trafford.

Not often have we seen a goalkeeper carry the team for so long all by himself. The confidence and authority he exudes are unmatched.