One of the biggest stories evolving within the summer transfer window is the uncertain future of David de Gea. Undoubtedly one of the stars of the season for Manchester United, fans have branded the Spanish goalkeeper ‘irreplaceable’ and the ‘best in the world’. The 24-year-old has been strongly linked to a move back to Madrid, acting as a potential replacement to Iker Casillas, this time heading for Real rather than Atletico. Nonetheless, United still have the likes of Victor Valdes and Anders Lindegaard between the sticks. So, we asked Football Manager, do Manchester United need David de Gea?
Changes
Using Football Manager 2015, we had to make a few changes in order to make the campaign as similar to the 2015/16 season as possible. Radamel Falcao and Andy Kellett have been returned to AS Monaco and Bolton Wanderers, while all players have returned to United on loan – including Nani, Tom Cleverley, and Javier Hernandez. Furthermore, we made slight changes to suit relegations and promotions. QPR, Burnley and Hull City have all been moved to the Championship, while AFC Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich City replace them. As the season isn’t over, we had to make logical guesses to the final teams to go up and down.
With David de Gea
First of all, we kept David de Gea in the Manchester United set-up. We then simulated a season on Football Manager, and recorded the results. These will then be compared to a simulated season within the goalkeeper in the ranks. So how did the Red Devils fare with their number one between the sticks?
Transfers
The first season saw United make four fairly big signings. Jan Vertonghen joined for a little over £15 million, almost a straight swap for Phil Jones, who soon headed to White Hart Lane. The defence was then bolstered with the £13.5 million arrival of Dede, and Wesley Sneijder and Morgan Schneiderlin added to the midfield for a combined £25 million. With a number of loans, the window saw the likes of Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira and Paddy McNair all make temporary departures, while Ben Amos was shipped to Southampton permanently for £350,000. With de Gea available, just one change was made in the goalkeeping ranks. He also signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2019!
However, the biggest change came in management. Louis van Gaal was sacked in mid-December, after just 139 days in charge. Seven wins, five draws and five defeats left the board disappointed, and a week later replaced him with Unai Emery. The ex-Sevilla manager enjoyed more impressive form, with 16 victories, a single draw and five defeats.
League Table
It comes as no shock to see the Red Devils finish in fourth – the place they expect to finish this season and will ultimately battle for next season. However, Liverpool winning the title does seem a little unpredictable, scoring an impressive 88 goals. Daniel Sturridge unsurprisingly netted 17 of those, while Emre Can followed closely behind with 14. The number of defeats United fell to certainly hindered them, and sat some way off the league leaders.
Results
United generally disappointed in the league with the results. A 2-0 defeat at home to Sunderland was followed by an excellent run of form. After a draw with Manchester City, the Reds beat Liverpool 5-2 and Arsenal 2-1 in a matter of days. However, they then lost three consecutive fixtures to Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Watford. And following their dire run, they then went six games without conceding with de Gea in the net! United appeared to enjoy facing Liverpool, and secured an impressive 4-0 victory in their returning fixture.
Cup Runs
Unfortunately, we were unable to add Manchester United into the Champions League, despite the fact they should be next season. For the record, Juventus beat Napoli in the final. However, the cup runs were disappointing. Losing out to Championship sides in both the FA Cup and Capital One Cup earlier on, van Gaal’s replacing seems reasonable.
Goalkeepers
As expected, de Gea was the number one for United. 35 appearances throughout the season saw him command the jersey as his own. Recording an average match rating of 7.07, he overshadowed the likes of Victor Valdes and Sam Johnstone, who played just five and two games respectively. David de Gea proved his worth, and after these performances, there could be a big difference between the goalkeeping stages if Victor Valdes is forced to step up to the mark. De Gea also boasted 12 clean sheets, while conceding 37 in the 35 games. Interestingly, he never featured in the cup runs.
Without David de Gea
So for the second simulation, we removed de Gea from Manchester United, placed in in Real Madrid’s squad, and handed him a bumper £200,000-a-week contract. With Victor Valdes the new number one, would he remain in action for Louis van Gaal, or would he look for a new goalkeeper in the transfer window?
Transfers
Louis van Gaal has remained as manager this season, which already suggests some signs of improvements with de Gea! He opted to bring Vertonghen into the line-up once again, as well as Sneijder. However, two new signings see Marc Bartra join from Barcelona for £14.25 million, and Axel Witsel for just £8 million. Ben Amos has once again joined Southampton, but Phil Jones has now remained at the Theatre of Dreams. Instead, Antonio Valencia was shipped off to Galatasary, and a number of youngsters enjoyed loan spells once again.
League Table
The Premier League has seen Manchester United settle for fourth, regardless of their goalkeeping scenario. However, they have picked up an extra nine points in comparison to the previous season, and lost just six games. Liverpool managed to secure the league again, although Manchester City and Chelsea have now switched positions in the top three. The newcomers all survived, and AFC Bournemouth managed to finish in 11th place! To add to the shock, Southampton saw relegation. Robin van Persie managed to finish as Manchester United’s top scorer in both seasons.
Results
It was another season of inconsistency for results too. It took four games for the Reds to pick up their first victory, but also didn’t lose until late October. When they did lose, it came in the form of a 4-2 defeat at AFC Bournemouth. The defeat was followed by a draw with Manchester City, and a defeat to West Bromwich Albion, while they also suffered substantial defeats to Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Norwich! Nonetheless, a 4-1 victory over Chelsea was as sweet as ever, and they ended the season strong, scoring ten without conceding in their final three games.
Cup Runs
United faced very mixed cup runs, crashing out the Capital One Cup early on, while enjoying an impressive run in the FA Cup. However, they did bow out to strong competitors in Chelsea and Manchester City for both games, having seen off a trio of Premier League clubs in the main domestic tournament. Angel Di Maria also scored in every FA Cup game, including two against West Ham United, and stole the show as Ben Pearson became a regular in the cup run.
Goalkeepers
With de Gea absent, Valdes stepped up to the mark as expected. He achieved an average rating of 7.07 across the 30 games he played – an identical rating to when de Gea was featuring! However, Valdes didn’t play quite as often as de Gea, which allowed Anders Lindegaard some gametime, while Sam Johnstone featured more often – and took a much better average rating of 7.20! Despite being 33, Valdes has proved his more than capable of being a regular for Manchester United on Football Manager, which could be the scenario in real life. Valdes kept nine clean sheets in 28 league games, while conceding 33, meaning the difference between the Spaniard’s was minimal!
Real Madrid
We also considered how Real Madrid would perform with and without David de Gea. Without him, they soared to La Liga, with just two defeats seeing them finish 12 points clear of Barcelona. They beat Atletico early in the season to claim the Super Cup, but lost to Juventus in the Champions League semi-final. They also fell to defeat over two legs to Rayo in the Spanish Cup quarter-final. The Club World Cup Championship saw them knock seven past ES Tunis in the final, despite losing the European Super Cup in extra-time to commence their season.
With de Gea back in Madrid, he often rotated with Casillas. Making 37 appearances throughout the season, he averaged a rating of 7.27, meaning a move back to Spain could be beneficial for the 24-year-old. He was followed by Casillas, who making 24 appearances, averaged a rating of 7.26. Keylor Navas managed just four appearances, but achieved a 7.40 average rating. Losing just two league games, Madrid won La Liga once again, but only by two points. After winning both Super Cups, Carlo Ancelotti’s side finished third in their Champions League group stage, and went on to the win the Europa League. However, they lost 2-0 in the final of the Spanish Cup to Valencia.
Outcome
Comparing both seasons, Football Manager predicts Manchester United do not need David de Gea. A move to Real Madrid benefitted his personal career, but the Red Devils’ performances actually improved with former Barcelona number one Valdes between the sticks. Panic over?
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