Gary Lineker was wowed by a fantastic save made by Man United keeper David de Gea in the 1-0 defeat to Juventus on Tuesday, but there was more praise to come from the MotD host.
It led to a conversation with BBC DJ Danny Baker, who claimed that while people say no player is bigger than the team, de Gea is.
Lineker agreed, saying “On this performance, he is.”
They say "No player is bigger than the team." He is.
— Danny Baker (@prodnose) October 23, 2018
On this performance, he is.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 23, 2018
Baker went on to say that the goalkeeper has “saved their reputation from ruin for at least the last two seasons”.
Lineker agreed again saying that he has “Quite literally”.
He has saved their reputation from ruin for at least the last two seasons.
— Danny Baker (@prodnose) October 23, 2018
Quite literally
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 23, 2018
COMMENTARY
It’s easy to get carried away when you see a save of the quality of de Gea’s on Tuesday night. We’ve watched it over and over again and we’ll never tired of it. The shot from Cristiano Ronaldo is perfect – fast, curling and heading straight into the top corner. It looks a certain goal all the way until de Gea launches himself acrobatically to turn the ball around the post. It’s a breathtaking save that wouldn’t look out of place in the finale of a Roy of the Rovers strip. To say that de Gea is bigger than the team is going some but we think it is fair to say that over the past two seasons he’s saved their reputation. We don’t know how many points he’s won for his side or how many games he’s saved but it’s a lot. So far United have managed to hold onto him despite strong connections with Real Madrid. And we think he’s got to be one of the top three keepers in the world at the moment. In terms of shot-stopping we don’t think there’s anyone better.