Manchester United: 3 positives from Aston Villa game

David de Gea continues to perform

It is hard to imagine that this summer, there was a general feeling around Old Trafford that David de Gea’s time with the first-team gloves had come to an end and Dean Henderson was going to be the long-term goalkeeper for the club.

On the other hand, the Spaniard was expected to be shown the exit door after a few disappointing seasons, which had been capped off by his performance against Villarreal in last season’s Europa League final, which Manchester United lost in a penalty shootout.

It is safe to say that De Gea has completely turned things around this season though and looks back to his very best.

At times, he is keeping Manchester United in games almost single-handedly and a huge reason that they did not end up losing the game against Aston Villa was because of his great saves. That is not a rare sight these days though and has almost become the norm.

Manchester United score more than once

Manchester United have one of the most impressive forward lines in the world right now, as their squad has the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and others.

But for all of their individual brilliance, it has not clicked for Manchester United going forward. And it has been even more evident since the arrival of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager.

In fact, this was only the club’s second game, with Rangnick in the managerial hot seat, that they managed to score more than once in a game. It is safe to say that if they are to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season, this is one of the first things that needs to change. One cannot expect the defence to keep clean sheets one game after another, especially since Manchester United are not the strongest in that respect.