Manchester United Transfers: 6 Reasons Why David de Gea Will Struggle in the EPL

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was elated with the historic 19th league title but he will be only thinking about the next one when United team steps out on the pitch for the start of the 2011-12 season. Edwin Van Der Sar's retirement presented Ferguson with a problem, but the Scotsman moved fast to secure the signing of David de Gea in a big money move from Atletico Madrid.

United were linked with a number of keepers in the summer but Ferguson sealed the deal for de Gea, who is considered to be one of the best young talents in the world. Though de Gea had to compete with another talented young keeper in Sergio Asenjo at Atletico, he proved that he had the quality to excel and displaced the Spaniard from the starting 11.

De Gea has made some errors in his time at Atletico Madrid, but he has also had some excellent games, which is why Ferguson paid big money to seal the deal. However, replacing Edwin van der Sar is a difficult task for any young keeper, even for someone as talented as de Gea, and here are six reasons why he could struggle to cope with the demands of the Premiership. 

1. Physicality of the English Premier League

David de Gea is one of the bright young keepers in the world and he excelled in the La Liga for Atletico, which is why Manchester United paid big money to sign the 20-year-old. Though de Gea has good reflexes, he has to develop physically and could be intimidated by physical oppositions. His wiry frame means that he could struggle to cope with the physicality of the Premiership.

Some other keepers like Arsenal's Lukasz Fabianski has been targeted by teams like Stoke City and Blackburn in the past because they do not cope well with physicality. De Gea is also not very experienced and is bound to be targeted by other teams. Also, in Spain's La Liga, most teams play good passing football on the ground but that is not the case with many teams in the EPL.

De Gea's lack of physicality means that at times he could be indecisive on whether or not to take control over crosses. Also, most teams in the EPL try to score most of their goals by bombarding the box by long balls and crosses, and de Gea could be the player who could be targeted in the Manchester United backline. 

2. The Pressure of Replacing Edwin van der Sar

Edwin van der Sar was one of the world's best keepers, and despite being 40 years old into his last season, he remained at his best and was one of the main reasons for Manchester United's success in the last season. Though van der Sar may not be considered as one of the world's best keepers by some, he was one of the safest keepers and very rarely made mistakes, which is the hallmark of a great keeper.

David de Gea will be under huge pressure to replace the commanding Dutchman and the Spaniard could be weighed down by expectations. Though de Gea has outstanding reflexes, which was one of the main reasons for Sir Alex Ferguson to splash the money, the Spanish U-21 international has made some errors in his time at Atletico.

He could make the odd error playing for Manchester United, but he is bound to come under scrutiny for his performances. Everton keeper Tim Howard is one of the best keepers in the Premiership, but the USA international struggled to cope with the pressure of playing for the Red Devils. Ferguson and other senior players like Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand will have an important role in helping de Gea adjust to the Premiership.

3. Communication and Command of the Backline

De Gea does not seem to be physically strong and could be targeted by some players in the Premiership. The Spanish international has left his hometown club and has joined one of the biggest clubs in the world.  The former Atletico Madrid keeper does not know English and could find it difficult to communicate appropriately with his defense, though it helps that Vidic and Ferdinand are vastly experienced.

It is important that the keeper and the backline has good communication, which is something that was excellent between van der Sar and the defensive backline. Also, though de Gea is immensely talented, he does not command the area so well and, though he could get away with this in the La Liga, there will be a number of crosses coming into the box and de Gea needs to be confident to command the area.

It could also be a steep learning curve for de Gea and he would have to alter some aspects of his game in order to settle in the Premiership. With Vidic and Ferdinand in front of him, de Gea would learn a lot from his defense and also, with time, he can become more commanding as this will be an aspect which will be highlighted by Ferguson and his assistants.

4. Long Range Shots Have Been a Problem for David de Gea

Many supporters who follow the La Liga have observed that while de Gea is one of the most talented youngsters in the league, he is susceptible from long-range shots as was observed in the game against Real Madrid and many other games in the last season as well. In the community shield game against Manchester City, Edin Dzeko’s strike from a long way out should have been saved by the Spaniard, who was a little late in getting down to the right.

De Gea needs to work on this aspect of his game because his troubles with long-range shots could be noted by many other teams who could try to exploit that. Also, every error he makes at United is bound to receive more attention in the media and could further add to the pressure. There are a number of players in the Premiership, who can hit powerful and accurate long-range shots like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard and the Spaniard will have to improve in this area.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the most knowledgeable managers in the game and he can help the 20-year-old overcome his weakness in dealing with long-range shots. Also, the Spaniard is one with huge potential, and if he plays regularly he could realize his potential to become one of the best keepers in the league.

5. Difficult Start to David de Gea's Manchester United Career

Manchester United have a tough start to the season having games against Arsenal and Tottenham in the first three weeks of the season and have tough fixtures in the first three months of the season, which includes tricky fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester City as well. De Gea did not have a good game against Manchester City in the Community Shield and will come under scrutiny right from the start of the season with journalists and supporters eager to pass an early statement on the Spanish keeper.

Though de Gea is one of the most talented young keepers in the world, it will be a difficult start for him this season considering that he will be between the posts for many high profile games like the one against Arsenal. If the Spaniard does make an error which costs United a result, it could result in a lot of criticism for the youngster and, though he has only joined this year, he could face the heat in the press.

However, if he does perform brilliantly in these high profile games, it could result in the Spaniard becoming more confident about his abilities. But if he does make mistakes, it will be up to the manager to motivate the individual to realize his potential and, if needed, Ferguson could remove the keeper temporarily from the firing line.

6. High Expectations and Also Competition from Anders Lindegaard

David de Gea has been tipped for great things following his big money move to Old Trafford, but it is important that he takes these comments in his stride and strive to develop his talents. As mentioned in some other slides, he has to be mentally strong if he has to be successful as the Manchester United keeper and needs to be confident in his own abilities. Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the best man-managers in the game and de Gea could perform at his best for the Red Devils.

However, de Gea’s place in the team could come under serious threat from the unfancied Anders Lindegaard, who was signed last season. Lindegaard has not had much playing time because of the impressive performances of van der Sar, but will be keen to make maximum use of the opportunities that he gets. De Gea could take time to adjust to the conditions and physicality of the EPL and, if he does make errors in his first few games, Lindegaard could get the opportunity to start ahead of the Spaniard.

Lindegaard was excellent in preseason and is determined to start for Manchester United in the future, having been benched for most of the last season since his move to Old Trafford. Also, the Danish international has shown good authority and command in the box and appears to have the requisite composure. If Lindegaard gets the opportunity and performs at his best, it could make things tricky for de Gea as it is bound to affect his confidence in his abilities.