David De Gea will almost certainly have stiffer competition for this season’s Matt Busby statuette than he’s had in previous years.
And one man who would be delighted to see the goalkeeper’s spree of Manchester United Player of the Year awards come to an end is none other than De Gea’s manager, Jose Mourinho.
The stopper has been voted the club’s Player of the Year for three years running but Mourinho doesn’t want to see a fourth consecutive prize for the Spaniard.
Mourinho believes that there is a problem when goalkeepers are considered the most impressive player on the pitch for a season as it suggests that the defence is not doing its job.
“I think when a goalkeeper is a player of the season, it’s because something is wrong,” said Mourinho ahead of the Red Devils’ FA Cup clash with Reading on Saturday.
“Of course I would love goalkeepers to be recognised, to win the golden ball (Ballon d’Or), to be player of season in the Premier League because goalkeepers are lonely guys with a different shirt to everybody else.
“When they play phenomenal people forget, when they make a mistake, everyone remembers. That’s why I hugged David at the end of the West Ham game because no save, Antonio goal, no three points.
“Season after season the goalkeeper is player of the season, it means that something is wrong.
“Hopefully he’s not player of the season this season but hopefully he keeps making important saves for us like he did in last week.
“I think Antonio goal with 25 minutes to go against West Ham. The way they were organised, I think very difficult to get three points.”
