Erik ten Hag Refuses to Blame David de Gea Despite Another Disastrous Performance

• Erik ten Hag absolved David de Gea from Manchester United's FA Cup loss to Manchester City
• De Gea was at fault for conceding two avoidable goals from Ilkay Gundogan on Saturday afternoon
• There have been calls for ten Hag to prioritise a new goalkeeper in the summer

Erik ten Hag leapt to the defence of his goalkeeper David de Gea after another error-stricken performance during the FA Cup final on June 3.

Manchester United went 2-1 down to Manchester City at the Wembley Stadium, leaving their rivals only one win away from equalling their treble-winning season of 1999.

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De Gea was at the heart of the two Ilkay Gundogan's goals. The German midfielder scored less than 15 seconds in after a poor clearance from Victor Lindelof fell kindly to him. He hit one-time catching de Gea flat-footed to hand Pep Gaurdiola's side their dream start.

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The Red Devils fought back and won a penalty after Jack Grealish was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area. Bruno Fernandes cooly slotted the ball past surprise pick, Stefan Ortega.

Gundogan scored his second after the break from an improvised Kevin De Bruyne freekick. The Belgian chose against swinging the ball into the area and instead picked out his teammate on the edge of the area. Gundogan followed the same script as the opening goal, though with a different leg, as he sent the ball past a wave of bodies.

De Gea's reaction time was late as he got his hand to the ball but failed to push it over, much to the chagrin of United fans and former players led by Roy Keane.

Ten Hag defends de Gea

However, speaking after the game, ten Hag placed poor defensive tactics on the whole team.

"At this moment, I don't want to talk about such issues of criticism because we played all a great season - including David De Gea, he played a fantastic season. Say it like this; we are in the right direction.

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"But there are occasions in the game, issues in the game we have to improve, definitely, if we want to make the next step and win trophies. I have only one plan, that is to improve this club and to improve this team," as quoted by the Mirror.

There have been calls for ten Hag to find a new number one. De Gea is yet to agree to new terms, with his current deal expiring at the end of this season.

Roy Keane calls for a new goalkeeper

Sports Brief has reported that Manchester United should invest in a goalkeeper soon as David de Gea is not good enough, according to Red Devils legend Roy Keane.

Keane, known for his straight talk, delivered his brutal verdict after United lost 2-1 to Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

The thrilling clash at Wembley saw Ilkay Gundogan score two stunning goals for his side, including a fairly tame volley six minutes into the second half.

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