Top 10 things you need to know about David De Gea plus watch him in action

1)      David de Gea Quintana was born on November 7, 1990 in Madrid and stands at 1.92m tall (or 6' 3" in old money).

2)      A product of the Atletico Madrid youth academy, De Gea has been with the club since he was 10-years-old, working his way up through the reserves (which play in Spain's third tier, Segunda Division B) to the first team.

3)      He would be the perfect replacement for the soon-to-retire Edwin van der Sar - his teammates at Atletico have already nicknamed him Van der Gea, because of his physical likeness to the Dutchman, and his similar style.

4)      His first team debut for Atletico came on September 30, 2009 when he was thrust into Champions League action against Porto after first choice keeper Roberto was forced off injured after 26 minutes played. Then aged just 18, he was unable to keep Porto at bay and the team lost 2-0, but the youngster was delighted to have finally got onto the pitch. "It was difficult to sleep the night after that game with all of the emotion I felt," the teenager said. "It was a dream come true for me to debut with Atlético, especially in a Champions League game."

5)      Just days later he started a league match for the first time, and 'pulled an Almunia' by giving away a penalty when his side were leading 1-0, before making amends by saving the spot kick from Marko Babic. (See the video below). "I felt the fans were right behind me with every save I made," the Spanish Under-21 international said. "To make my full debut at the Vicente Calderón was something very special. The team won and I stopped a penalty; I felt really comfortable between the posts."

6)      Despite his tender years he already has two European medals to his name. He played eight times in Atletico's successful Europa League campaign last season, including in the final against Fulham, and he saved a penalty from Diego Milito to help Atletico win the Super Cup against Champions League winners Inter Milan.

7)      His trophy cabinet also includes an Under 17 European Championship medal from 2007 when Spain beat England in the final. He was only denied an Under 17 World Cup winners' medal in the same year when Spain lost on penalties in the final to Nigeria.

8)      His former Atletico boss Abel Resino - himself a former goalkeeper for the club - is full of praise for the young stopper. "He has all the attributes to go on and become a great goalkeeper," he said. "The calmness he displayed in such big games was tremendous; he has great nerve."

9)      He came very close to going to the World Cup with the victorious Spanish senior squad last summer and was even named in Vicente del Bosque’s initial 30-man squad, but didn't make the final cut. Although when you consider that Iker Casillas, Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes were the three keepers ahead of him, there is certainly no shame in that.

10)   Man United boss Alex Ferguson famously snubbed his side's Carling Cup win at Scunthorpe to watch De Gea play against Valencia earlier this season. The words "any excuse" spring to mind...