Phew! At least we had De Gea’s safe hands

Manchester United are all but assured of making a return to the Uefa Champions League next season after a year in the cold.

This achievement, earned through finishing the league season in fourth position, is down to one man; David de Gea.

Had it not been for the Spaniard’s acrobatic saves, I’m not sure we would have earned a Top Four finish.

When the Dutch philosopher Louis Van Gaal arrived at the “Theatre of Dreams”, there was this aura of excitement among the club’s ardent folklore.

Some critics, however, weren’t sure whether the 63-year-old was the right man to guide the giants back to their glory days of the past, especially those witnessed under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Analysts opine that a coach is only as good as his last game and that a manager should be judged after his first season.

Based on this, I will offer a fair review of the Dutch philosopher while being critically hard in areas I think he should have done better.

Firstly, hats off to LVG for keeping faith in De Gea as the N0. 1 goalie.

De Gea helped United secure back-to-back victories for the first time under LVG in a home victory against Everton on October 5 last year.

During that match, De Gea made three important saves, including one penalty from Leighton Baines to help United secure a 2–1 win in a man-of-the-match performance.

Let me also spare a few good words for skipper Wayne Rooney. He has been an inspirational leader. What a player he is. In the Premier League, he stands out because he is the only Englishman who can be mentioned in the same breath as the skilful Eden Hazard, the “Street Fighter” in Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal, and the City goal poacher Sergio Aguero.

Rooney is a fighter; he wins you games, big games for the record.

His blue eyes are not accidental. They radiate whenever he senses danger and he knows exactly what to do to defuse such danger.

Having began his career as an out-and-out striker at Everton, Rooney has matured at United, demonstrating the right team spirit, the desire and willingness to sacrifice and suffer for the team.

In 2012 for instance, he easily accepted to fall back to midfield and allow the then flying Dutch man Robin Van Persie to thrive as the lone forward.

This term, he has even been more phenomenal, playing in deep midfield when the situation demanded. What enthrals me though, is that he delivers in whichever position he plays in. That is a unique and rare trait.

By now, LVG must have done his arithmetic right with the help of Ryan Giggs. He must have figured out whom to bring in during the summer and whom to show the exit door.

He should shop for established strikers to compliment or replace Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria have all had rough patches.

Di Maria began life at United brightly but later faded away, while Falcao - expected to be the mighty weapon that would put defenders on the back foot - struggled to hold to a starting position amid a backlog of injuries that have in turn affected his form. 

Going forward, the Dutch philosopher must bring in proven names. Mats Hummels has been on the radar and so are talks of tempting Edinson Cavani away from Parc des Princes.

Let’s not forget that in Rooney, we still have a proven goal poacher.

The funds could be channelled in a tough centre half and a good custodian.

Efforts are being made to keep De Gea from the grip of Real Madrid and the latest contract offer of £250,000 (Sh37.5 million) a week is welcome.

With that I end with pregnant hopes that the 2015/16 league title will head back to Manchester, which for the record, will be painted all red as has almost always been in the past.

Musalia Mudavadi is former Deputy Prime Minister of Kenya and an ardent Manchester United fan