Manchester United unsung hero has given next manager a dilemma to solve

There are a few things that seem certain whenever Manchester United experience a bad start to a season.

A rumour of dressing room dissent quickly emerges; a manager is sacked for the failure of his players; a top-four finish suddenly becomes an underwhelming aim. Oh, and David de Gea goes on to win the player of the year award.

This season has ticked all of those boxes so far, and during the 2-0 victory over Brighton on Tuesday night, United were once again reminded of the importance of De Gea, the unsung hero in a season of failure.

United were poor in the opening half against Graham Potter's side and might well have paid the ultimate price if not for another piece of goalkeeping brilliance from the Spaniard shot-stopper.

Instead, they went in level as De Gea guarded his goal with a superb dive high to his right to tip away Jakub Moder's header against the odds.

It is credit to the 31-year-old that such a save is no longer headline news. It is simply just another stop you'd expect De Gea to make, such are his alien levels of attentiveness when it comes to reactionary saves.

"It was great to be honest, a very difficult one," he admitted himself after the match. "In that moment it was a big save because we kept a clean sheet. This is what we want in this moment, keep compact defensively. It was a great save to be honest."

It is rare for a keeper of his pedigree to indulge in such self-praise, but it is thoroughly warranted from De Gea, who was written off by many 12 months ago amid fierce competition from Dean Henderson for the starting spot.

No matter which side of the debate you sit on, there can be no denying the fact that De Gea has regained his world-class status this season and is deserving of his