Erik ten Hag is already changing David de Gea's style at Manchester United

David de Gea was regarded as one of Manchester United's best players last season. United struggled to keep things tight in defence, with the Spanish goalkeeper forced to bail his teammates out of trouble on numerous occasions.

The shot-stopping ability of the 31 year-old has rarely been scrutinised at Old Trafford. De Gea has consistently proved himself an above average goalkeeper when it comes to making saves beyond expectation.

However, this summer, a period of change is upon us. The whole United squad has been assessed by Erik ten Hag as the new boss looks to transform his new group of players, having left Ajax at the end of last season.

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After thoroughly analysing United, it seems the Dutch coach has presented De Gea with elements to work on to improve his game — particularly when it comes to keeping the ball on the floor and contributing to passing moves.

Last year, around 51.2 per cent of his goal-kicks were launched, with a 'launch' defined as a pass longer than 40 yards. On top of that, around 37 per cent of his passes when building from the back were launched, compared to just 22.5 per cent for Alisson and 24 per cent for Ederson.

Although his saving was at a high level, his contributions with the ball at his feet were lacking. De Gea averaged roughly 12 passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League and he went long from goal kicks roughly 3.8 times per 90 last term, with those numbers surely set to change under Ten Hag.

De Gea has made three starts under the new regime so far in pre-season, against Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Across those matches, he's posted 27 passes, 20 passes and 29