'Dean was important to really reinvent David' - How Manchester United No 1 David de Gea got back to his best

It's coming up to 12 years since Eric Steele and Sir Alex Ferguson jetted out to Spain to cast their eye over a teenage goalkeeper that the former thought could be the answer to their prayers.

Steele had been tracking a young 'keeper who first appeared on his radar when playing for Spain's Under-17s. Now tasked by Ferguson with finding a youthful stopper who could emulate the longevity of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar, he reopened his notebook and looked for that name: David de Gea.

By now he was first-choice for Atletico Madrid and Steele had done his due diligence. On Wednesday, September 22, 2010, Steele and Ferguson sat in the Mestalla's steep stands to watch him play against Valencia. This was such a significant transfer that Ferguson was in Spain instead of taking charge of United's League Cup game against Scunthorpe.

It proved to be a trip that was worth their time. On Wednesday De Gea will return to his boyhood club for the first time since he left in the summer of 2011. He will make his 474th appearance for Manchester United in the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico's gleaming new home across the city from the raucous and rugged Vicente Calderon where he spent his formative years.

Steele left United in 2013 but he's always kept a close on De Gea, a player who has more than fulfilled the brief Ferguson gave the goalkeeping coach as Van der Sar approached retirement.

"The in-possession model was really important and David had that. I’d seen him playing for Spain Under-17s and I just made a mental note and put it in the diary when I got back home. He just looked so accomplished on the ball," Steele told the Manchester Evening News.

"It was, can we find someone who can come in and play the United way, build