Man Utd may be wise to give David de Gea new deal after Brighton win

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea got nowhere near any of Brighton’s penalties and did not need to with Solly March’s spot-kick, the 13th of a shootout which saw United through, sailing over.

Yet this was still a tale of redemption for the goalkeeper just four days after his shocker in Seville. With speculation over a new contract and his ability to play the ball with his feet in question, what price the Spaniard will be playing his last match for United in the FA Cup final on June?

Yet whatever happens in the summer if he does he can look back on his part in getting United to another shot at silverware in Erik ten Hag’s first season with pride. In 120 minutes of this often disappointing match, De Gea produced a string of saves to show that when it comes to reaction saves, he is up there with the best.

And while any new deal will not be worth the current level of £375,000 a week, a stop-gap contract to tide Ten Hag through to a big-money signing at the end of next season could be a possibility.

The government had sounded the first mobile phone alert system 90 minutes before kick-off to test the nation’s readiness for all manner of disaster. And bang on cue these two served up a shocker with little to recommend the game as a spectacle.

It was littered with mistakes and misplaced passes. The performance of De Gea shone brightly in amongst the jaded efforts of his team-mates.

And his saves to deny Alexis Mac Allister, tipping a shot around the post early, nudging a snap shot from Julio Enciso over, blocking a Solly March effort in the second half and Kaoru Mitoma in extra time, were a reminder of his quality.

His display more than anyone else for Ten Hag’s side shone brightly and goaded relentlessly by Brighton fans expecting another distribution error, he kept things simple. De Gea will face a stiffer test trying to keeping the ball out of his net against Manchester City – he saw six go past him when the two met in October.

United will be huge underdogs given they are showing signs of flagging badly of late and by June could be out on their feet. But if De Gea could repeat this, not Seville, the fans who ventured down for this here can at least look forward to a return trip.