David de Gea was the only Manchester United player to be approached by Erik ten Hag after the final whistle on Thursday night.
As the thousands inside Old Trafford applauded the players for their excellent response following the Anfield debacle, Ten Hag shared words with De Gea on the pitch and it felt significant that he was the only player he felt necessary to speak with.
Ten Hag placed his arm around De Gea, the pair exchanged thoughts and both raised smiles, although the mood between manager and goalkeeper certainly wouldn't have been so jovial had Real Betis punished his terrible first-half mistake.
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Shortly after Real Betis equalised through Ayoze Perez, they almost took the lead when De Gea passed the ball straight to the opposition. They subsequently hit the far post and De Gea's blushes were saved only by a matter of inches.
De Gea had enough time to make the right decision on the ball, but he's been guilty of panicking when in possession throughout his career and he somehow picked out a direct pass to Betis forward Juanmi, who could not believe his good fortune.
There were multiple options for De Gea in that situation and he chose the worst one. He could have cleared the ball left or right, passed to Lisandro Martinez, which he seemed to attempt but failed to execute, or clear it through the middle.
A goalkeeper who is comfortable with the ball at their feet, something which is a non-negotiable for a player in that position in the modern game, would have played the pass to Martinez with relative ease, but De Gea lost control.
His distribution has always been questionable but it was magnified again versus Real Betis. De Gea never looked confident on the ball and he looked like a mistake bound to happen when receiving it, as Betis were intent on pressing him.
Ten Hag discussed the display after the game and said: “I can’t ignore it, but I think we have seen many games he did really well. I don’t know what the reason today was. There was a lot of wind, a different ball, probably he had some problems with that.
"I know we can deal with it and he will do better Sunday. We work on [his kicking] but David is working on that. But I think we have seen in this season that he is improving and he will keep improving, I’m sure.”
It would be harsh to judge a goalkeeper for one mistake, as there is no stopper in the game who hasn't made a blunder in their career, but there is a conclusive body of evidence that suggests it was not just a one-off for De Gea.
The 32-year-old was once genuinely the world's best goalkeeper, but the game has evolved and he's failed to keep up with those changes, which means he's become an outdated player at a club trying to build for the future.
De Gea has delivered strong performances in this campaign, but lingering doubts about his long-term suitability to be heavily involved in the rebuild of the club remain, with Ten Hag wanting his goalkeepers to confidently play out from the back.
That is the long-term vision and De Gea does not align with that, despite laudably making improvements in that area this term.
It seemed he could play for another season, the 2023/24 campaign, but his performance against Betis raised a familiar question about whether signing a new goalkeeper should actually be prioritised, as some feel it's a pressing issue.
Although De Gea is only the 11th player in the history of United to reach that significant 500 appearances for the club and he recently surpassed Peter Schmeichel's clean sheet record, there is no room for sentimentality regarding a decision on his future.
Ten Hag values De Gea and he should be handled with the utmost respect, considering his outstanding service to the club, but he might be forced into making a decision that the Spaniard will not like, nor agree with.
De Gea is technically out of contract this summer, but United have the option of an additional year on his deal. He is currently negotiating a new deal, with reduced terms, however, that contract is not yet agreed and talks could still be ended.
The debate around De Gea boils down to one key question: is Ten Hag prepared to go another season with him as first-choice goalkeeper, or does he consider signing a new, progressive player in that position an immediate priority?
Ten Hag has seen enough to make that decision and the outcome will be made public in the near future.
