Former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek has labelled David de Gea as the best keeper he has worked with.
The shot-stopper departed M16 at the end of his contract in July 2023, having set a club record 545 appearances for a United goalkeeper. De Gea's final season was fraught with difficulties, including several high-profile mistakes in crucial matches, leading to the mutual decision that it was time for both parties to part ways.
His last competitive match for United was the 2023 FA Cup final, which the Reds lost 2-1 to Manchester City. However, the Spaniard will ultimately go down as one of the club's greatest-ever goalkeepers, having saved his team on countless occasions.
And Hoek, who worked under Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford between 2014 and 2016, has heaped praise on De Gea. The Dutchman puts him ahead of several legendary goalkeepers at his peak, including ex-United keeper Edwin van der Sar, who he worked with at Ajax.
“I was involved in the whole scouting process that brought Manuel Neuer to Bayern Munich," he told RG.org when asked about the bets shot stopper he'd ever worked with. "I could have stayed and coached him, but I wanted to remain loyal to Louis after his sacking and left alongside him.
"Everybody could tell Neuer was going to be one of the biggest talents ever. I worked with Edwin van der Sar at Ajax, Victor Valdés and Pepe Reina at Barcelona. They are all exceptional, but if you ask me to pick, I’d go with David De Gea.
"I was very impressed that he was capable of playing at such an incredibly high level for two years in a row. During my time at Manchester United (2014-16), he didn’t really have a dip, you didn’t see him fall. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes, but he also made a
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