Sir Alex Ferguson hails David de Gea

Superb form: David de Gea

David De Gea has been the man to talk about after last night’s 1-1 draw between Manchester United and Real Madrid. The United shot stopper was brilliant in goal and saved a number of shots that kept United’s hopes alive as they go into the second-leg of the game, which will be played on the 6th of March.

“David was excellent and produced three or four really top saves,” said Ferguson. “He’s improving all the time.“I’m pleased for the boy. This is a difficult place to come and we would have taken 1-1 before the game.”The Spanish goalkeeper denied Fabio Coentrao within five minutes of the game – a save which Ferguson called “absolutely superb”.

He made some amazing saves later on in the game too, stopping shots in unorthodox fashion and kicking the ball clear.

De Gea has frequently been criticized since joining United in 2011, with Ferguson defending him after the 1-1 draw with Tottenham last month. The 22-year-old, was often rotated with United’s second choice, Anders Lindegaard, but he has started every Premier League game since the 4-3 win at Reading on 1 December.

Team-mate Ryan Giggs added: “It’s good for him to come back to Madrid and put in such a good performance. He is a top keeper and his shot stopping is second to none.

“He is maturing all the time and he has showed that. He has come to Madrid with a lot of pressure on him, being from Atletico, and he has produced the goods.”