Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday said that David de Gea’s place is not guaranteed after the goalkeeper endured another error-strewn display in Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.
Chelsea are to face London rivals Arsenal in the final on Saturday next week thanks to a pair of embarrassing blunders from De Gea in United’s 3-1 loss at Wembley Stadium.
The Spaniard’s nightmare season hit a new low as he was at fault when Olivier Giroud’s shot trickled over the line late in the first half and De Gea made an even worse mistake moments after halftime when he allowed Mason Mount’s shot to evade his weak attempted save.
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Harry Maguire’s own-goal was also partly down to De Gea’s slow reactions as United lost for the first time in 20 games in all competitions, despite a late Bruno Fernandes penalty.
“He knows he should save that 100 times out of 100, but that’s football for you,” Solskjaer said.
“I can’t speak for David de Gea’s confidence, but he is mentally very strong. I made the decision to play him and mentally he was ready for it,” he said.
Asked if De Gea would be replaced by Sergio Romero when United return to action against West Ham United in tomorrow’s crucial English Premier League clash, Solskjaer would not rule out dropping the Spaniard.
“Obviously, everyone has to perform. Everyone has a chance every time we perform to stake a claim in the team,” Solskjaer said. “David knows he should have saved the second goal, but that’s done now and we have to look forward to Wednesday. It’s hard for a ’keeper to make amends. David showed his character in the rest of the game with a few good saves.”
De Gea’s future at Manchester United is sure to be scrutinized given the fine form of the club’s on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson during his spell at Sheffield United this season.
Solskjaer has already labeled Henderson a future England No. 1 and it would be no surprise if he is back at Old Trafford to challenge De Gea for the jersey next season.
While the spotlight was on De Gea, Chelsea were by far the better team as they reached the FA Cup final for the first time since they last lifted the trophy in 2017-2018.
United had beaten Chelsea three times this season, but Lampard had the last laugh.
“To win a semi is a great thing, but to win a final is the thing,” Lampard said. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we can certainly enjoy the performance and the result. It is obviously right up there because of the size of the game and quality of the opponent.”
United, who started with Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial on the bench, looked out of sync after switching to a back three.
“You always question your decisions,” Solskjaer said. “Chelsea had an extra 48 hours rest, that’s just a fact, but it’s no excuse. We lost concentration and that was disappointing. We were a little too late in some situations and the second goal was very avoidable.”
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