De Gea v Henderson: Who is the future of Manchester United?

Manchester, March 2: David de Gea is no stranger to scrutiny at Old Trafford.

There were serious concerns over De Gea when he was lured to Manchester United by former boss Alex Ferguson as a lean 20-year-old goalkeeper in 2011.

De Gea, though, answered questions about his physique – the Spaniard repaying Ferguson's faith and going on to win a Premier League title, as well as FA Cup, Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield silverware.

He cemented himself as one of the world's best keepers. However, those concerns have emerged again and they are growing louder following his latest mistake in Sunday's 1-1 draw away to Everton.

The key moments from our #PL clash against Everton 🎥#MUFC pic.twitter.com/qAQzksIIYT

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 1, 2020

De Gea's attempted clearance was blocked by Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin into the net in just the third minute. United manager to salvage a point, but those errors are occurring more frequently.

Unlike previous seasons, De Gea has serious competition in the form of Dean Henderson – who is excelling on loan at Sheffield United in England's top flight.

England youth international Henderson is widely viewed as the future of United, but the 22-year-old is reportedly unwilling to return to Manchester next season unless he is the number one.

So, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a decision to make. Stick with De Gea or cash-in on the rumoured Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus target, while turning to Henderson?

Using Opta stats, we compare the form of De Gea and counterpart Henderson in the Premier League this season.

Games played

De Gea: 28

Henderson: 26

Shots Faced (inc. blocks)

De Gea: 297

Henderson: 295

Goals Conceded

De Gea: 30

Henderson: 22

Clean Sheets

De Gea: 7

Henderson: 9

Saves

De Gea: 72

Henderson: 66

Saves (from inside the box)

De Gea: 44

Henderson: 39

Saves (from outside the box)

De Gea: 28

Henderson: 25

Save Percentage

De Gea: 70.59

Henderson: 74.42

Clearances (inc. Punches)

De Gea: 12

Henderson: 20

Goals Conceded (in box)

De Gea: 26

Henderson: 21

Goals Conceded (out box)

De Gea: 4

Henderson: 1

Errors Leading to Goals

De Gea: 3

Henderson: 1

Errors Leading to Shots (inc. goals)

De Gea: 4

Henderson: 1

Drops

De Gea: 1

Henderson: 3