Why David De Gea Can Be Manchester United's Hero in the EPL Title Race

Two weeks ago, it looked as if David de Gea's brief Manchester United career was all but over following their FA Cup exit to arch rivals Liverpool.

Again the blame fell on the young Spaniard for both of the goals that afternoon, which almost certainly cemented Anders Lindegaard as the new first choice at Old Trafford.

But a freak ankle injury on the eve of the Stoke game has given de Gea an unexpected chance to reclaim the number one jersey, and in effect, propel United back to Premier League glory.

It would be an astonishing turnaround from what has unquestionably been an utter disaster of a debut season for the 21-year-old after his huge 18 million pound move from Athletico Madrid this past summer.

The pressure of expectation, and the transfer fee have certainly affected the youngster with costly mistakes in the Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Premier League.

But with Lindegaard ruled out for at least four weeks, de Gea has a massive chance to prove himself in what will be United's most testing run of fixtures this season.

It will certainly be no stroll in the park though as they face a good team in Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, followed by Liverpool a week later.

It doesn't get any easier after that, as a tricky trip to Norwich is followed by a visit to North London to face the very competitive Spurs.

A very difficult set of fixtures for anyone, but if United can come out of those games still level on points with Man City, it will be a huge boost to Sir Alex Ferguson and likewise to David de Gea.

There is no question that he will be under severe pressure in each game, but a successful February could be the making of the Spaniard and would surely cement his place in the starting line-up for the rest of the season.

Of course it could go the other way, a disaster game against Chelsea and de Gea could well find himself an embarrassing third choice behind Ben Amos.

But he has a golden chance to become villain-turned-hero, and lead United to their 20th and perhaps sweetest Premier league title of all.