De Gea has now moved up in the all-time appearances chart at the club, with Alex Stepney being the only keeper ahead of him in this respect.
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David De Gea might have crossed 30 years of age, but the Manchester United shot-stopper believes he is “young for a goalkeeper,” as he hopes to stay at the top of his game for “more years.” The Spaniard has been in impressive form this season, making crucial saves domestically and in Europe, helping the Red Devils get out of many tricky situations. Along with the summer signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, De Gea has been one of Manchester United players to watch for this season. The 31-year-old broke into the Atletico Madrid side at an early age and joined the Reds a decade ago. It was Sir Alex Ferguson who brought him to England. De Gea has now moved up in the all-time appearances chart at the club, with Alex Stepney being the only keeper ahead of him in this respect.
On the back of the Man-of-the-Match performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Norwich City, De Gea admits he is currently in one of the “best shapes” of his career. It has been ten years since he has joined the Reds, and till now fans continue to hold him in huge respect. “It’s been a long time but, hopefully, there are more years to come and more trophies to come,” he told the club media. “More good moments to live. So what can I say? I’m massively proud of what I did for this club and to play for this badge. It’s amazing.
“I feel maybe in one of the best shapes of my career. I feel very well. Maybe some people think I’m older because I’ve been in the game for many, many years but I am still young for a goalkeeper. I’m still learning every day, giving 100 per cent in training, so like I say, hopefully there are more years and more games to come.”
David De Gea has now overtaken legendary former skipper Bryan Robson in the all-time appearances list. To put things into better perspective, only 16 players have represented the Reds on more occasions than his 462. De Gea was understandably pleased to move past Robson.
“Of course, he’s been a massive legend for the club so that means I’ve been here a long time, to play a lot of games,” added the Spaniard. “So I should be proud of what I did because it’s not easy to be here as long as I have been here. Let’s go for more. I want to play more games, I want to enjoy more and win games and I want this club to be on the top again.”
David De Gea, who has a reunion with Atletico Madrid in the last 16 following the Champions League draw, has been impressive on and off the pitch. Despite putting on eye-catching displays in between the posts, United have struggled for a period this season with poor results. Despite the outcomes, De Gea’s willingness to step forward for media duties, including after some difficult results for the Reds, shows his status as a senior player.
“Yes, I’ve been here for good moments and bad moments,” he admitted. “You have to put your face out there in the good and bad moments. I’ve been here a long time, I am one of the most experienced players here. In bad moments, I feel I have to be here to show we are here, we are together, we are a team and to try to help the young lads and the people here, to make us stronger.”
