Is David de Gea Manchester United's best ever goalkeeper? Let us argue the case for him

Manchester United are confident that David De Gea will sign a new contract that will make him the highest-paid Premier League goalkeeper on more than £200,000 a week.

He is regarded as one of, if not, the best goalkeepers to have ever graced Old Trafford, but faces some great opposition for the No 1 accolade with the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van der Sar also laying claim to that title.

Here, reporters give their views and analysis on each of the three...

Peter Schmeichel (1991 - 1999)

by Adam Shergold

A fact often obscured by the tidal wave of success that followed is that Manchester United were chronic under-achievers when Peter Schmeichel signed for them in 1991.

United had not won the English championship since 1967 and hadn't competed for the European Cup since 1969. On the football field, Manchester had lived miserably in the shadow of Merseyside for two decades.

In order to push back against history, Alex Ferguson knew he needed a team packed full of forceful personalities and United in the early Premier League era was precisely that.

Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Eric Cantona. And behind them, the most hulking figure of them all, both in terms of physical stature and larger-than-life personality.

The position of goalkeeper is the hardest to re-define, but Schmeichel managed to do just that. The art of goalkeeping is all about reactions and reflexes, yes, but Schmeichel brought so much more.

His game profited from the introduction of the backpass rule at the dawn of the Premier League era, meaning keepers could not simply longer scoop the ball up and waste time.

Schmeichel requested to join in with passing drills with United's outfield players, developing his ball control and kicking skills and, in time, making him an accomplished 'sweeper keeper.'

Similarly with laser-guided overarm distribution, Schmeichel could swiftly shift the momentum, springing United away on the counter-attack in something that perfectly suited their style.

There was then his iron belief that the penalty area was his own personal fiefdom, the goal his castle and keep.

Schmeichel was authoritative in his instructions at set-pieces while his trademark star-jump saves intimidated strikers in one-on-one situations.

Any defenders witless enough to drift out of possession or commit an error of judgement would get a hurricane-strength blast from the big Dane.

There were memorable saves too - I'll never forget the stupendous one-handed save he pulled off against Rapid Vienna in 1996.

'Schmeichel pulled off saves he wasn't entitled to make,' wrote Ferguson in his autobiography. 'There were moments of wonder. 'Jesus, how did he do that?'

After eight glorious years at Old Trafford, Schmeichel quit while he was ahead by winning the Champions League and the Treble following the most frenetic three minutes of stoppage time in football history.

'You don't recover easily from losing a Peter Schmeichel,' Ferguson lamented. Quite right - he was the best goalkeeper United ever had.

Edwin van der Sar (2005-11)

by Luke Augustus

'I tried to replace (Peter]) Schmeichel, but that was very difficult. We went for Fabien Barthez and he did well for a while, but he then had his own situations, so we went for Edwin.

'We really should have gone for him when Schmeichel left, but (former chairman) Martin Edwards had an agreement with Mark Bosnich at the time that took the wind out of our sails. So we couldn't get Edwin, but I'd have loved to have got him then.

'He is different entirely to Schmeichel and you can't compare them, but there was a certain criteria to be a goalkeeper here which involved good experience, personality and also a good track record.

'Edwin has all of those qualities. He didn't cost us a lot of money, about £2million, so he's right up there with my best signings.'

When making the argument for Edwin van der Sar, you realise you're up against a legend in Peter Schmeichel who was part of Manchester United's dominance in the 1990s and David de Gea - whose individual brilliance continues to astound everyone watching week-in and week-out. But then you read back quotes from Sir Alex Ferguson's ringing endorsement about the Holland legend and it becomes an easier case to make.

The quotes above were from 2009 - some four years after Van der Sar had joined. It took Ferguson six years and 10 (yes TEN) different goalkeepers until he found Schmeichel's replacement. If only he got his way in 1999.

It is no coincidence that Van der Sar's arrival from Fulham led to a resurgence in United becoming England's and, for a spell, Europe's premier club. In six years at Old Trafford he won a staggering 11 trophies - four of those being Premier League titles and one European Cup (but we'll come back to the latter shortly). The only honour he failed to win was the FA Cup.

Joining at the age of 34, he was a calming influence among a youthful side that was still developing the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

He was part of a defensive unit that became immune to opposition attacks and if they did somehow breach those in front of him, Van der Sar's quality would invariably snuff out the danger.

The fact at the age of 38, in 2009, he broke a 31-year league record for the most minutes without conceding a goal is a testament to his long-lasting powers. It took a mind-blowing 1,311 minutes before he was beaten again - a run which included 14-straight games with a clean sheet against opposition which included Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.

And speaking of Chelsea, who can forget Van der Sar's finest moment in a United shirt? May 21, 2008. The Champions League final. Moscow. Yes everyone remembers John Terry's slip but it was Van der Sar's save from Nicolas Anelka in the sudden death penalty shootout that crowned United as Kings of Europe once more.

He may have handed his crown on to De Gea but Van der Sar will forever reign as one of United's greats. If only Ferguson signed him sooner, then more memories could've been made at the Theatre of Dreams.

David de Gea (2011 - Present)

by Anthony Hay

I was very sceptical when Sir Alex Ferguson forked out £19million on a young Spaniard going by the name of David de Gea in June 2011.

Manchester United's legendary former manager, who didn't have the best track record of buying keepers, decided to put his faith in a 20-year-old to replace the experienced Edwin van der Sar.

I thought Manuel Neuer, who was at Schalke back then, would have been a better fit but I've happily been proved wrong.

De Gea is now Manchester United's best ever custodian in my eyes. Since Ferguson left there has been a lack of continuity at Old Trafford with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and now Jose Mourinho trying to steer the Red Devils back to the top.

The Spaniard has been a rare constant and is improving season-by-season. He is the best shot stopper English football has ever seen and is still only 27. Goalkeepers usually hit their peak in their early 30s so it's scary to imagine how good De Gea will be when he reaches that age.

Van der Sar was an outstanding acquisition despite not joining the club until he was 34 and De Gea is still seven years younger than when the Dutchman rocked up at United.

I'm often left mesmerised by some of the saves De Gea manages to pull off. When analysing his best stops you will see he actually goes with the wrong hand to make the save look even better. It's like he wants to test himself rather than have an easy ride.

His save against Leicester back in August falls into that category because he somehow managed to deny Andy King from four yards by stretching out his right foot when it looked like the Welshman was certain to score.

Mourinho also had De Gea to thank when the Portuguese decided to park the proverbial bus at Anfield. His plan wouldn't have come off if the Spaniard wasn't in goal as he denied Joel Matip from close range - again by using his outstretched foot.

So many of his saves fall into the 'only De Gea could save that' category. YouTube search his save from Juan Mata's last-minute free-kick in 2011, you won't be disappointed.

De Gea actually said at the time that he thought the save from Mata changed his Manchester United career around.

He said: 'When you look back over a season there are lots of defining moments and key goals. But, I suppose, from a team point of view, and particularly from a personal point of view, the fact the save was right in the last minute was decisive.

'It gave me a huge confidence boost as well and that was important.'

Let's not forget Peter Schmeichel played behind Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister while Van der Sar had Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Matic in front of him. De Gea, on the other hand, has had to bail out the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in recent years.

De Gea's personal awards say it all as well. He's been named Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year four times, Manchester United Players' Player of the Year on three occasions and has been included in the PFA Team of the Year five times.

I still don't understand why he hasn't seriously pushed for a move to Real Madrid but thank god the Spanish giants failed to invest in a high speed fax machine.