Learning his lesson: David de Gea is taking English
classes
David de Gea insists he is finally coming to terms
with the demands of life as Manchester United's No 1 - and it's all
down to learning English.
The young Spaniard is starting to win acclaim for his
performances between the posts following a shaky start to life in
England.
The 21-year-old, who joined United last summer for
£18million from Atletico Madrid, was rested for a period in
January.
But an injury to rival Anders Lindegaard provided him a
fast-track return to United's starting XI and the keeper believes
his better grasp of English is helping him improve game after
game.
'I’m learning English little by little,' he
said.
'I’m already able to give more instructions to the
defence. People in England are demanding.'
'In England I’ve learnt to concentrate for the whole
match,' he added.
'People can score from any situation.
Good to talk: De Gea has hailed boss Sir Alex Ferguson
as a 'great manager'
'I’m also learning to be more aggressive because
players challenge you hard. If I don’t, I’ll get
hurt.
'I’ve had to change the way I come for crosses. A keeper
in England has to be physical with the strikers.'
De Gea also paid tribute to Ferguson, hailing the the
70-year-old Old Trafford boss as a 'great manager'.
'There’s a lot of pressure on a Manchester United keeper
but it is going well,' he said.
'I try to stay calm so it doesn’t affect me. Ferguson is
almost always with us and he often eats with the players too. He’s
a great manager and few know about football like he
does.'
And De Gea revealed how criticism thrown in his direction
at the start of the season has only served to toughen him
up.
'It encouraged me to keep fighting and keep working hard.
The important thing is not to let yourself get down because you can
turn it around,' he said.
'Through hard work, I have waited for my chance and
grabbed it. Fortunately now I am showing some good form. I hope
this can continue right the way through until the end of the
campaign.'
Happy days: De Gea says he is enjoying life at
Manchester United