David de Gea must listen to his own advice to secure Champions League victory vs Atletico Madrid

Manchester United face their biggest test of the Ralf Rangnick era on Wednesday night against Champions League specialists Real Madrid.

Diego Simeone's team are renowned for their defensive capabilities but will also create chances to service a wealth of attacking talent that includes Luis Suarez, Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann.

When those chances do happen, and they will due to United's ongoing defensive vulnerability, it will be up to David de Gea to save the day.

The former Atletico man has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows during his United career, but the fanbase generally agrees that this season he is someway back to his best shot-stopping form in the Premier League.

It is the rest of his game that needs work. His distribution is verging on dangerous and his reluctance to leave his line to meet the opposition head-on or claim loose balls sometimes creates unnecessary extra work.

De Gea is a keeper who has been good at putting out fires, both of his own and his team's creation, but is less adept when it comes to preventing them in the first place.

In a recent interview with UEFA, the Spain international explained where his priorities lie as a player.

"What a goalkeeper has to do is to stop goals going in; that's the most important thing. And then, if you have the talent or the quality to be able to play with your feet and have good vision, that's phenomenal," he said.

"I feel very comfortable playing with my feet, playing out from the back, following the lead of my team, but it depends on the coach and the style of play."

This statement is part of the problem with De Gea, as the viewpoint he presented is archaic.

In the modern game, the ability to play with your feet can sometimes be every bit