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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Roy Keane's former Manchester United teammate disagrees with his David de Gea verdict

Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke believes David de Gea should continue as the club's first-choice goalkeeper, insisting that there aren't many better in the world than him.

The Spaniard, who is currently away on holiday enjoying some downtime, experienced a difficult conclusion to the campaign, coming under fire after making mistakes against the likes of Sevilla, West Ham United and Manchester City. Despite that, he did end the season with 17 Premier League clean sheets to his name, meaning he won the Golden Glove.

He is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of this month, but it is understood that he will put pen to paper on fresh terms to extend his stay. However, manager Erik ten Hag has already warned him that he may not necessarily remain his first-choice shot-stopper.

United have refused to rule out the possibility of adding a new goalkeeper to their ranks this summer, though that will largely depend on Ten Hag's transfer budget. The Reds have been heavily linked with FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa and Brentford ace David Raya in recent weeks.

READ MORE: Victor Osimhen vs Randal Kolo Muani - who would be better for United?

Nevertheless, Yorke does not believe that Raya, who wants to leave Brentford this summer, is any better than De Gea, throwing his support behind the former Atletico Madrid man to continue between the sticks for the Reds.

"I have not seen any outstanding goalkeepers that are far greater than David de Gea, so I wouldn't swap him for anyone at the moment, even with the mistakes he's made recently," Yorke told King Casino Bonus.

"I really don't think there's many better goalkeepers in the world than De Gea. Is David Raya better than De Gea? I don't think so.

"Manchester United will be looking for a better player as well as a character who can come in and deal with the step up of playing for United. Maybe Dean Henderson can do it, but I'm not so sure."

Yorke's opinion on De Gea's future at Old Trafford could not be more contrasting to that of his former teammate, Roy Keane. The former United captain slammed the Spaniard after last Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to City at Wembley, urging the club to upgrade their goalkeeping options ahead of next season.

"United have got to get a new goalkeeper and a world-class striker," said Keane. "I'm sick of saying it.

"United need a world-class goalkeeper, and he isn't."

De Gea, who kept a total of 25 clean sheets in all competitions this season, joined United back in 2011 and has racked up more than 540 appearances for the club. He started 58 of United's 62 matches this term, meaning he was one of Ten Hag's most-used players.

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