After 545 appearances and 12 years, David de Gea is no longer a Manchester United player. He ends the spell with the seventh-most United appearances of all-time, having been one of the only stalwarts of an ever-changing team throughout the last decade.

As this chapter in their respective stories comes to an end, how will De Gea be remembered when he’s compared to other United and Premier League goalkeepers?

We've crunched the numbers to find out.

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Appearances

One of De Gea’s biggest assets to United has been his longevity, as 415 of his appearances came in the Premier League, and his total appearances outnumber any United goalkeeper. When you consider that he’s still only 32 years old, and has played in the top flight for Athletico Madrid prior to his time in Manchester, it reflects well on him, and only six Premier League goalkeepers have more.

His impressive total sees De Gea doubling Edwin van der Sar’s 266 and comfortably ahead of Peter Schmeichel’s 398 respectively. To find anyone who comes close, you have to go back to the 1960s and 70s, when Alex Stepney was stopping shots for United when they won the European Cup as the first English club to do so and his appearance number is only six fewer than De Gea’s.

The number he has been able to reach says a lot about his time at United, even while suffering difficult spells, he hasn’t been replaced for long periods of time.

His first challenge to the number 1 jersey came in the 2020/21 season, when a combination of injuries and squad rotation saw him share the role with Dean Henderson for much of the campaign. This came as his goals conceded per 90 minutes nearly doubled between the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, which statistically was a noticeably poor year in his career.

But to manage nearly 10 years in one of the most highly-scrutinised positions in English football is an achievement in itself, even despite his critics, and his final appearance total reflects that.

Trophies

Due to the Spaniard's timing of appearances, he cannot compete with other legends for trophies won. Stepney, van der Sar and Schmeichel were in goal for United’s three European honours, totalling one each.

De Gea only reached the Quarter-Finals back in 2014, where United lost to Bayern Munich 4-2 on aggregate, although he did taste Europa League glory three years later. That was one of four major trophies he won, with another one of those coming in the Premier League.

He played a key role in his only title-winning season, earning him a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, although it’s hard to argue that the others didn’t play vital roles in theirs.

This achievement is also eclipsed somewhat by the likes of Schmeichel, who won five, and by Ederson, who also has five in a shorter time at Man City. Schmeichel also has a major international trophy to boast too, and not only that, he was arguably Denmark’s best player at Euro 1992, leading them to victory.

Individual honours

Individually, he is one of only two players to have more than two ‘Player of the Season’ awards at United, winning four between 2014 and 2018. The only other player with four needs no comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo.

While this is impressive, it also came during United’s quieter years during the initial post-Ferguson era. The likes of Schmeichel, especially, was taking these individual accolades at a time when he was lifting major silverware too, something which can’t be said of United’s most recent number 1.

And what may damage the way De Gea is remembered are the final years of his United career. He has often been criticised by pundits and fans alike for his performances, although there aren’t many players who haven’t come under similar scrutiny at United in recent years.

In the end, these mistakes in recent years might just pale into insignificance over time, as tends to happen, especially with goalkeepers. De Gea will be remembered as a great servant to United who, over his long spell at the club, saved them more points than he cost them.

However, his legacy won’t quite be put alongside the likes of Schmeichel in the hearts of fans, although it can be argued that De Gea was unlucky at times with the players he ended up alongside.

For now, rumours will circulate about his future in football, and where his next destination may be.

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