David De Gea and Emilio Alvarez.

United coach Alvarez says De Gea can get even better

Friday 11 January 2019 11:00

Manchester United goalkeeping coach Emilio Alvarez has expressed his belief that David De Gea, widely regarded as the world's no.1 and our four-time Player of the Year, can still take his game to another level.

That claim is almost hard to believe when you consider just how consistently outstanding the Spain international has been in recent Reds history, yet Alvarez insists the 28-year-old stopper had an outstanding work ethic that means he is constantly trying to make improvements.

During an interview at the warm-weather training camp in Dubai, which you can watch below, Alvarez paid tribute to all three of our first-team goalkeepers and spoke optimistically about De Gea.

“David is of course the one who plays more and is an important player for the club, but the three of them are doing very well,” said Emilio to us. “With David, we are always thinking about how he can get better and better, and better. To be honest, I don't think David will ever stop. He can get even better!”
Video
Watch our exclusive interview with goalkeeping coach Emilio Alvarez in Dubai.

The prospect of De Gea getting better - which must fill the opposition with dread - is linked to his excellent relationship with coach Alvarez on the training field and their meticulous work together.  

Emilio feels it is also attached to David’s fantastic bond with his goalkeeping team-mates, Sergio Romero and Lee Grant, who form a tight-knit unit which strives to get the best from each other. 

That unity between the trio, who are ultimately competing for one position on the pitch, is rare and Alvarez feels strongly about the spirit among his players.

“It is one of things that, to be honest, I feel really proud and happy about,” he told us in Dubai. “The relationship that the keepers have is amazing, between them and also of course with the way they are interacting with the team is really as well. Maybe the three of them are making the atmosphere happier for the rest.” 

Romero recently showed his quality by winning the Man of the Match award from our 2-0 Emirates FA Cup third-round win over Reading, when the Argentina international made a series of good saves. 

Grant, who joined United in the summer from Stoke City, also impressed when he made his Reds debut as a substitute in the Carabao Cup tie against Derby County back in September. 

While opportunities to play are naturally limited for the 35-year-old, Alvarez is keen to point out our experienced and popular goalkeeper is having a big impact on his team-mates. 

“To be honest, I do not agree that Lee is only learning from us. Since Granty came here, he has been a really, really, really nice surprise. We are learning from him. We are really learning from him, because he is a really, really good goalkeeper, a really, really good professional, and as a man, the way he interacts with the rest of the colleagues, he is unbelievable. We are really lucky to have him.

"We have to be sure to say we have of the three best goalkeepers in the world, because each of them has really good skills. For example, Sergio is an experienced goalkeeper in the Argentina national team so what more can I say about him? It is a pleasure to work with all three goalkeepers.” 

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