De Gea starts for Man Utd again as Solskjaer backs 'top keeper'

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Manchester, July 22: David de Gea retains his place in goal as Manchester United aim to move into the top four when they host West Ham on Wednesday.

The Red Devils sit fifth ahead of their penultimate fixture but can leapfrog into the Champions League places if they avoid defeat against the Hammers at Old Trafford.

De Gea's place in the team came under scrutiny following the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in last Sunday's FA Cup final.

There were question marks over the Spaniard for Olivier Giroud's opener at Wembley and the own goal scored by Harry Maguire, and he also let a rather tame strike from Mason Mount slip through his grasp.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has repeatedly defended De Gea against criticism following similar mistakes against Watford, Everton and Tottenham this season.

While he refused to guarantee the keeper would keep his place for the visit of West Ham , Solskjaer has indeed selected De Gea ahead of Sergio Romero for the final home game of the 2019-20 campaign.

"David has proven it over the years. Form might be temporary, but class is permanent. He's an absolutely top keeper," the United boss told Sky Sports.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah makes just his second league start of the campaign and Paul Pogba is also in an XI that includes forward trio Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

West Ham, meanwhile, are unchanged from the line-up that started the 3-1 triumph over Watford, a crucial result in the battle to avoid relegation.