Jose Mourinho Confirms David De Gea Will Start FA Cup Final vs. Chelsea

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho revealed on Friday that David De Gea will line up in goal in Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea.

De Gea's backup, Sergio Romero, played in every one of United's games in the competition prior to the semi-final showdown with Tottenham Hotspur. The Argentina international missed that match because of a knee injury.

While Romero has since returned from his layoff, Mourinho announced De Gea will get the nod for Saturday's game, per Sky Sports.

"[Romero] was injured for a long, long time," the Red Devils boss said. "He was injured for around two and something months. He didn't play some matches that normally would be his matches, his semi-final against Tottenham, a couple more matches before the final. ... It is not about trust. It is not about my confidence in him."

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Romero has played in plenty of high-profile games for United in recent years, including last year's UEFA Europa League final.

He did feature on the final day of the Premier League season against Watford, and as Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News noted, the goalkeeper produced one exceptional save to deny Richarlison:

Still, that match meant little at the end of the league campaign, whereas the meeting with the Blues has the potential to define United's season.

The Red Devils lagged behind Manchester City in the race for the title this season, finishing as a distant runner-up. They have also had to watch on as rivals Liverpool have raced into the UEFA Champions League final, where they will meet Real Madrid.

United supporters would have hoped for more than the FA Cup when the 2017-18 season started. However, Ste Armstrong of fanzine United We Stand believes winning silverware of any sort shouldn't be sniffed at:

While Romero will be disappointed to miss out on starting in this showpiece fixture, the fact remains that United have a better chance of winning on Saturday with De Gea between the sticks.

As Sam Jackson of GK1 Info illustrated, the Spain international is capable of saves that no other goalkeeper in the Premier League can make:

De Gea's consistency never ceases to amaze, as he once again enjoyed an exceptional campaign. He is often on hand to bail out the Red Devils, providing a rock-solid platform the team have struggled to take full advantage of at times.

He has already won the Premier League, Europa League and the EFL Cup with United; victory at Wembley Stadium on Saturday would be his second FA Cup success with the Red Devils.