Man Utd goalkeeper David de Gea told he is among Premier League GOATs by rival
Lukasz Fabianski gives a glowing verdict on fellow keeper David De Gea, who will reportedly not be going to the World Cup, ahead of West Ham's clash at Manchester United
Lukasz Fabianski has hailed the relentless brilliance – and resilience - of Manchester United keeper David De Gea.
The Spaniard is once again defying his critics at Old Trafford after his error-strewn start to life under new Reds boss Erik ten Hag earlier this season. Just as he has done on a numerous occasions during his long, rollercoaster career with the Premier League giants.
And nobody has more admiration for De Gea, 31, and his knack of recovering from the turbulent times than West Ham counterpart Lukasz Fabianksi.
READ MORE: De Gea 'left out' Spain's 55-man World Cup squad as Prem rivals preferred
Ahead of the Hammers’ trip to face Ten Hag’s men on Sunday, the Irons stopper, 37, declared: “He is pure quality - one of the best in the history of the Premier League, in my eyes. He has shown it many, many times. He had a few difficult spells but, in general, he's been great. Amazing.”
Yet that has not stopped pundits and punters alike condemning De Gea to the elite keeper scrapheap at different moments over the past decade.
Lest we forget, two years ago the ex-Atletico Madrid man’s United days appeared finished when axed by then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for England youngster Dean Henderson.
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And much the same was being said back in August after his two costly mistakes playing out from the back contributed to the 4-0 humiliation at Brentford.
Fabianksi, though, argues United’s stature as one of the game’s biggest outfits is why De Gea, no longer part of the Spanish squad, finds himself in the firing line the second he hits a dodgy patch.
“The size of the club. It’s always that way,” explained the ex-Poland international. “For every player at a bigger club, there’s always bigger scrutiny attached.
“More people are attracted to it and there’s more media attention. That’s quite normal and natural.”
Few know this better than former Arsenal man Fabianksi. On his arrival from Legia Warsaw in 2007, Arsene Wenger tipped him to become ‘the best keeper’ on the planet. But seven years later he was sold to Swansea, having made only 27 league starts for the North Londoners after injuries and a series of high-profile clangers left Wenger’s prediction in tatters.
Yet 2014 FA Cup winner Fabianski reckons those dark days would have harder to survive in the modern era of keyboard warriors and savage online abuse.
He said: “It was tough but would be a lot tougher if it happened nowadays - because at that time, social media wasn't that big. It was the early days of it. It would have been a lot bigger in terms of noise.
“Still, it was very tough. But what helped was I always believed in myself - and had people who believed in me. Even Arsene was really patient. He stuck with me many times, actually, and at the end of my time at Arsenal, gave me a chance in one of the biggest games of HIS career - the FA Cup final.”
Now West Ham boss David Moyes is showing similar faith by continuing to use the veteran in the Premier League ahead of ex-Paris Saint-Germain stopper Alphonse Areola.
“I’m happy he has this trust in me. But nothing is given. I always have to earn the right to be seen as a number one in his eyes,” added Fabianski, who has kept four clean sheets this term.
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