It was another day to forget at Wembley for United’s under-fire long-term No1, who was too slow to react to Ilkay Gundogan’s second and ultimately match-winning volley for Treble-chasing City in the second half of a tense all-Manchester final.
De Gea’s distribution was also criticised during the final, with manager Erik ten Hag responding to a question on that exact topic in his post-match press conference by admitting that United had “issues in the game that we have to improve if we want to make the next step and win trophies”.
The Spaniard’s future after 12 years at Old Trafford has been subject to fervent speculation throughout a difficult season for De Gea personally, with his current contract due to expire at the end of June.
While he is expected to sign an extension on reduced terms, Ten Hag has offered no guarantees that he will remain his first-choice between the posts amid links to several potential new goalkeepers including Brentford’s David Raya and Diogo Costa at Porto.
Under pressure: David de Gea is out of contract at Manchester United at the end of June
/ Getty ImagesAnd despite De Gea shrugging off a number of high-profile errors to clinch the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for the most clean sheets in a season, United legend Keane believes his former employers must go out and seek upgrades at both ends of the pitch this summer.
In terms of strikers, the oft-injured Anthony Martial could be sold in the months ahead and United will not sign Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst on a permanent deal, leaving the club needing to provide sufficient support for Marcus Rashford as a matter of urgency.
The Red Devils have made Harry Kane their top target for the window ahead, with the likes of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Juventus frontman Dusan Vlahovic and Atalanta starlet Rasmus Højlund also linked in the event that the England captain remains at Spurs into the final 12 months of his contract.
“United have got to get a new goalkeeper,” said Keane on ITV. “They need a world-class striker and a new goalkeeper. “They need some other players and some strength in depth but they need a new goalkeeper and a world-class striker. I’m sick of saying it.”
He added: “We saw it again today. We’ve seen lads coming off the bench but they’re not good enough.
“They may be decent lads but they’re not good enough for Man United. And that’s why they’re losing these tight games and that’s why they’ll be chasing Man City for the next few years, unless they go and spend the money and get the players that Man United deserve.”
Keane’s latest criticism of De Gea was echoed by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who called him a “big problem” for United and questioned if a new goalkeeper was actually more important than the club’s high-profile pursuit of a major striker upgrade this summer.
“DDG is a big problem for Man United, is fixing that position more important than them signing a striker?” Carragher tweeted.
Speaking on the BBC, legendary United ‘keeper Peter Schmeichel claimed that De Gea should have kept out Gundogan’s match-winning strike at Wembley.
“I think he should have done better,” Schmeichel said. “I was very surprised.
“I look at where he is in the goal… If I put myself in there I would be thinking ‘okay, I have to be right in the middle of this triangle’. He gets a full hand to it.
“He’s a little bit too deep… he should move toward where the ball is.”
