Ferdinand says De Gea 'should be doing better' as Utd ace faces being DROPPED
Rio Ferdinand has admitted his former Manchester United team-mate David de Gea should be performing at a higher level than he is currently following his howler in their 3-1 FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is facing renewed pressure to drop the Spaniard after he allowed a hopeful Mason Mount effort to go past him and double the Blues' advantage at Wembley.
The blunder has also placed a question mark over the 29-year-old Spaniard's long-term future at the club.
That is particularly due to the fact that highly-rated Dean Henderson is expected to hold talks with United about returning to Old Trafford next season following his loan spell at Sheffield United.
There have also been reports in the Sun that De Gea could be axed for the crucial games against West Ham and Leicester as United bid for a Champions League place.
It is being suggested that he could be replaced in the line-up by Sergio Romero, who missed out on the Cup semi-final.
And Ferdinand - who played with De Gea at Old Trafford for three seasons following the Spaniard's arrival in the summer of 2011 - admitted he was 'flabbergasted' by what he saw from United' first-choice keeper and that he could not defend the mistakes he is making.
'When people make mistakes, they're open to criticism. That's just natural, that is just how football is,' Ferdinand told BT Sport.
'David de Gea is no exception. He's made mistakes, glaring mistakes in some big games, notably the game against Chelsea in the semi-final at Wembley.
'Yes, he should be doing better. I have played with David, he's his own biggest critic.
'He'll be sitting at home mulling over these, going through the situations and making sure that he tries to get rid of these mistakes that he is committing at the moment.
'I watched these games with my boys at home and I was flabbergasted to see them go past David because he's a top-drawer goalkeeper.
'It is disappointing really, as a Manchester United fan you want to defend your player but at the moment he is not in a position to be defended in that respect.'
However, Ferdinand urged De Gea to call upon the character he summoned to defy the doubters when he first arrived in the country to turn his form around.
Ferdinand also warned his former club there is no simple fix in the transfer market and that they should consequently persevere with the man who will next season enter his 10th year as a United player.
Ferdinand continued: 'Has David de Gea been making mistakes? Yes he has made mistakes. Is he low on confidence? Yes he is low on confidence, but has he got the character to come back?
'Has he proved his character in years gone by? Yes he has, when he came to Manchester United, he was a 19-year-old, there were question marks straight away about 'is he good enough?', 'is he too slim', 'is he too frail', 'he's not ready to be Man United's goalkeeper'.'
'He dispelled all those things that were said about him through character, hard work, determination and, above anything else, quality. He has been player of the year four out of the last six years. When there was inconsistency at Manchester United, he was the consistent factor all the time there.'
'Yes he's had a bad spell, confidence is low, but does that mean you go out and get rid of him? Who are you gonna get? Who is out there who is actually able to be bought right now and who is going to be a world-class goalkeeper right now at Manchester United?'
'The only I see is [Jan] Oblak, but can you get him out of Atletico Madrid? And if you do how much are you going to have to spend? An obscene amount of money. I say stick with him [De Gea], he has earned that right to be stuck with.'
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is facing renewed pressure to drop the Spaniard after he allowed a hopeful Mason Mount effort to go past him and double the Blues' advantage at Wembley.
The blunder has also placed a question mark over the 29-year-old Spaniard's long-term future at the club.
That is particularly due to the fact that highly-rated Dean Henderson is expected to hold talks with United about returning to Old Trafford next season following his loan spell at Sheffield United.
There have also been reports in the Sun that De Gea could be axed for the crucial games against West Ham and Leicester as United bid for a Champions League place.
It is being suggested that he could be replaced in the line-up by Sergio Romero, who missed out on the Cup semi-final.
And Ferdinand - who played with De Gea at Old Trafford for three seasons following the Spaniard's arrival in the summer of 2011 - admitted he was 'flabbergasted' by what he saw from United' first-choice keeper and that he could not defend the mistakes he is making.
'When people make mistakes, they're open to criticism. That's just natural, that is just how football is,' Ferdinand told BT Sport.
'David de Gea is no exception. He's made mistakes, glaring mistakes in some big games, notably the game against Chelsea in the semi-final at Wembley.
'Yes, he should be doing better. I have played with David, he's his own biggest critic.
'He'll be sitting at home mulling over these, going through the situations and making sure that he tries to get rid of these mistakes that he is committing at the moment.
'I watched these games with my boys at home and I was flabbergasted to see them go past David because he's a top-drawer goalkeeper.
'It is disappointing really, as a Manchester United fan you want to defend your player but at the moment he is not in a position to be defended in that respect.'
However, Ferdinand urged De Gea to call upon the character he summoned to defy the doubters when he first arrived in the country to turn his form around.
Ferdinand also warned his former club there is no simple fix in the transfer market and that they should consequently persevere with the man who will next season enter his 10th year as a United player.
Ferdinand continued: 'Has David de Gea been making mistakes? Yes he has made mistakes. Is he low on confidence? Yes he is low on confidence, but has he got the character to come back?
'Has he proved his character in years gone by? Yes he has, when he came to Manchester United, he was a 19-year-old, there were question marks straight away about 'is he good enough?', 'is he too slim', 'is he too frail', 'he's not ready to be Man United's goalkeeper'.'
'He dispelled all those things that were said about him through character, hard work, determination and, above anything else, quality. He has been player of the year four out of the last six years. When there was inconsistency at Manchester United, he was the consistent factor all the time there.'
'Yes he's had a bad spell, confidence is low, but does that mean you go out and get rid of him? Who are you gonna get? Who is out there who is actually able to be bought right now and who is going to be a world-class goalkeeper right now at Manchester United?'
'The only I see is [Jan] Oblak, but can you get him out of Atletico Madrid? And if you do how much are you going to have to spend? An obscene amount of money. I say stick with him [De Gea], he has earned that right to be stuck with.'
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