Solskjaer's respect as De Gea reaches 400th game

De Gea played his 399th match during the midweek victory over Aston Villa and that outing placed him above the legendary Peter Schmeichel on the club’s all-time chart. 

David now holds the appearance record for overseas players in United history and will impressively join the illustrious 400 club on Monday night, if selected against Southampton at Old Trafford. 

It is a magnificent achievement for the Spanish goalkeeper and four-time Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, who joined the club as a replacement for the great Edwin van der Sar back in 2011.

“He's been fantastic, David, and since I've been here I've enjoyed working with him,” Solskjaer praised during his pre-match press conference. “He's come out and said he wants to play many, many more games - maybe 10 more years! How long will he be able to stay at the top? 

“That's just up to him, because it's a pleasure to watch him still being humble enough to work hard with Richard [Hartis] and Craig [Mawson] and the other goalkeepers around the place. 

“Four hundred games - two more than Peter! He's won the Premier League, he's won the FA Cup, he's won the Europa League, he's won the League Cup, but that's probably not enough for him.

“I don't think he'll be happy before he wins more trophies, because staying at Man United for so long and not having won more, I think that's something that he will feel is a black dot in his career.

“Yes, he's won those personal awards. I don't think David's the type who cares about personal awards. I think he wants the team to lift the big trophies.”

United are currently enjoying a 17-match unbeaten run across all competitions and the Reds have kept 12 clean sheets along the way, with De Gea playing a vital role in our superb defensive record.

Naturally, for a goalkeeper of his class, David’s form is constantly scrutinised and a handful of goals he has conceded have been discussed by outsiders – yet Solskjaer remains a loyal supporter of his no.1.

Asked during the press conference if he hasever thought about dropping De Gea, Ole was emphatic in his response: “It did not cross my mind one second. Not at all! To be a Man United goalkeeper you have to have a strong mentality. David has a strong mentality and he's been here for so long. 

“He's now going to come up to 400 games and you don't do that by being afraid of the limelight, of being afraid of Old Trafford.

“You do that by walking out onto that pitch again, showing your quality and mentality, and he's a strong, strong character. I didn't see any good in taking him out at all.”

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