Former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll has warned David De Gea about the pressure-cooker situation that awaits him at Old Trafford.
De Gea's transfer to United from Atletico Madrid is expected to be completed soon, after he underwent a medical in Manchester yesterday.
The 20-year-old, a European Championship winner with Spain Under-21s on Saturday, is the man chosen to fill the void left by veteran stopper Edwin van der Sar's retirement last month.
Prior to the arrival of Van der Sar - who is twice De Gea's age - at United six years ago, manager Sir Alex Ferguson had struggled to find a legitimate replacement for club legend Peter Schmeichel in goal.
Carroll was in and out of the side during a four-year stint with the Red Devils between 2001 and 2005 and the former Northern Ireland international feels De Gea must be ready for the intensity of the spotlight that is set to focus upon him.
"Edwin van der Sar has done really well for Manchester United over the last few years and this young keeper is coming to the biggest club in the world - he's got a lot of pressure on his shoulders," Carroll told talkSPORT.
"Manchester United is the sort of club that want to win every trophy and the pressure of playing for United is a big thing."
Reports have suggested United are poised to splash out something in the region of £18million for De Gea, pushing Ferguson's summer spending to about £50million after the captures of Phil Jones and Ashley Young earlier this month.
Carroll admits it seems a large fee for a player of De Gea's relative inexperience, but the 33-year-old is not about to question the United manager's judgement.
"It's a lot of money for a 20-year-old keeper but Sir Alex Ferguson knows what he's doing and I think in the last couple of years he's proved how good he is in the Spanish league," Carroll said.
"He's played a lot of games and in the European Under-21 Championship.
"I think Sir Alex will have been watching him for quite a while and I'm looking forward to seeing him play in the Premier League."
Tiada ulasan:
Catat Ulasan