David de Gea has moved to quell any doubts Erik ten Hag may have about his ability to continue as Manchester United 's first-choice goalkeeper.
Ten Hag opted to keep De Gea in place as the Red Devils' number one when he arrived as manager over the summer. That led to main challenger Dean Henderson being sent out on loan to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest for the campaign.
Concerns have been raised about the Spaniard's suitability for the role though, having conceded 15 goals in just eight Premier League games. So far, Ten Hag has kept his faith in the 31-year-old, who now appears to be taking on-board the Dutchman's tactical philosophy.
At his last club Ajax, Ten Hag was fond of deploying a sweeper-keeper to help his defence maintain a higher defensive line. That higher line is something he has looked to replicate at United, though De Gea has been reluctant in the past to take on that sweeping role.
But he now appears to be changing his ways in an attempt to convince Ten Hag to keep him at Old Trafford. De Gea once again started in goal on Thursday night for the visit of Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League.
United dominated the clash at Old Trafford, though Omonia did have several chances of their own. One of those came two minutes before half-time when United right-back Diogo Dalot played a loose ball back towards his own goal.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should David de Gea be Manchester United's long-term first-choice keeper? Comment below.
With United's centre-backs caught out, Omonia striker Andronikos Kakoullis looked to burst through the middle and in on goal. But De Gea was alert to the danger and sprinted 35 yards outside his goal to tackle Kakoullis before taking a touch and playing a chipped pass forward to Bruno Fernandes.
De Gea's attempts to show off his sweeper-keeper credentials could be a response to reports in The Telegraph that United are considering his future. The Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season and the Red Devils are said to be unsure of handing him an extension.
United legend Rio Ferdinand does believe that De Gea deserves a new deal, insisting his quality is obvious. He did admit though that Ten Hag may want a keeper who is more comfortable on the ball.
"I would give him a contract. I think his character speaks a lot, because he's had times where he got taken out of the team for Dean Henderson [and people have] questioned his quality," Ferdinand told BT Sport on Sunday.
"It's all down to the way Erik ten Hag wants to play football. If he wants to play out from the back, like he did with Ajax, it's all about someone who is actually better with their feet and that's probably the biggest strength in their game. David De Gea, that's not his biggest strength.
"He's good enough, I think, with his feet, but his biggest strength is his shot-stopping. That's what he's there [for]. Some managers have gone away from wanting that part to be their strongest part - it's about their feet first."
