Neville suggests De Gea's slump in form may be permanent

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has remarked that David De Gea's slump in form for over 2 years now may be permanent.

De Gea came under criticism again on Friday, as he couldn't stop Steven Bergwijn 's shot which lead to the first goal. United equalised later in the 81st minute thanks to a penalty won by Pogba and successfully converted by Bruno Fernandes. The game ended 1-1.  

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast,"He was the one player United could rely upon for the last four years but he's not the same.

"He hasn't been the same for some time. When form drops for six months it's a blip but when it goes on for a year you start to worry. When it goes over two years it becomes more permanent. That is now a fair representation of what De Gea is as he's making lots of mistakes.Ones he would never make make- he was always somebody you could rely upon. It can only be a confidence thing. The arms, legs and the body are the same- it's got to be the mind. 

" The reception he's got in Spain has affected him. He's even been booed by Spanish fans when he's wearing the Spanish shirt. In the World Cup in 2018 he really struggled and from that he's doubted himself. Mentally he's not quite the same.

" He's got to go back to basics. There's only one thing you can do when you're having a tough time : work. Work harder than you have ever done in your life. What will happen is that you will tell yourself the amount of work you put in you deserve to be good again. That means coming in at 7:30am and leaving at 6pm if needs be. He has to do something to stop the erosion. Mistakes like that can happen on the first game back but it's happening far too much over the past couple of years."  

Indeed David isn't what he used to be few years back, but I think he's been harshly blamed for the Bergwijn goal as Maguire is largely to be blamed, but yes, De Gea should have done better. Like Gary, I still believe David can be back to his best and that's only possible if he lets go any doubt he has in his mind. Time's running out for the Spaniard, as someone currently out on loan is eyeing madly at his spot. May we see the best of De Gea again, Amen .

GGMU

Cheers,

Arbab