Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has insisted that David de Gea is the best goalkeeper in the world right now, ahead of Bayern Munich star Manuel Neuer.
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The 37-year-old was speaking on BT Sport ahead of United’s clash with PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and believes that the Spaniard has made a crucial impact for Louis van Gaal so far this season.
Despite a summer of speculation over his future amid interest from Real Madrid, as reported by Sky Sports, the former Atletico Madrid stopper ultimately remained at Old Trafford where he won his place back in the side from Sergio Romero.
Since being reintroduced to the line-up, De Gea has produced countless decisive saves, and as a result he has earned the highest level of praise from his former teammate.
The 25-year-old has kept seven clean sheets in 14 appearances so far this season, and has conceded just 11 goals as United boast the best defensive record in the Premier League.
Although their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League is under threat heading into the final fixture of the group, as well as being a point adrift of Premier League leaders Leicester City, their defence has been an important part of their play.
Van Gaal has received significant criticism from the media and former players for his style of play, which in turn has seen the Red Devils fail to score with any real consistency.
As a result, the emphasis has undoubtedly been placed on becoming a more solid unit that is tough to break down, and De Gea has played an integral part in that by leading from the back.
Whether or not that leads to silverware this season remains to be seen, but Ferdinand is adamant that the Spanish ace should be regarded as the best in his position.
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