The United keeper wasn’t to blame for the bizarre incident in Spain’s 7-2 win against Georgia, but being stranded in no-man’s land by the farcical goal didn’t go down too well with the
20-year-old.
Coming so soon after his redeeming performance against Arsenal, being part of a You Tube classic was the last thing he wanted.
But the blip on international duty won’t derail his Reds progress.
And former United number one Gary Bailey believes Sir Alex Ferguson’s £18.3m summer buy has had the benefit of being surrounded by the club’s new young blood.
Inadvertently the injuries to Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand may have smoothed de Gea’s path after a rocky start in the Community Shield and at West Brom.
Bailey was blooded as a 20-year-old in 1978 by Dave Sexton to answer an Old Trafford goalkeeping crisis.
“Apart from ability, David de Gea has a few things going for him as he’s started his United career,” Bailey told M.E.N. Sport.
“He has the advantage of having been at a big club like Atletico Madrid and he knows what things are like to have to perform at that level and how to respond when things go wrong.
“Obviously United is even bigger and he’s a little young in terms of experience but at Old Trafford that is not an issue because the manager brings plenty of youth through.
“It is always a bit easier when you have players of your own age around you going through the same thing.
“When I came in as a 20-year-old I had Martin Buchan and Gordon McQueen in front of me who’d just been to the World Cup finals in Argentina with Scotland in 1978.
“I was the youngest by far and there is a temptation when there is a young goalkeeper to look at him when a goal is scored as if it is his fault. They looked at me when we lost.
“It was difficult trying to win your own players over. It made it very tough. But at least David has had the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans in front of him. They are his contemporaries and it does make life a little easier. They won’t be pointing the finger if you let one in.”
De Gea’s baptism has also seen United win their opening three matches in the Premier League.
Bailey’s introduction was a 2-0 home win against Ipswich in mid-November but that was followed by a 3-0 defeat at Everton.
Worse was to come that Christmas with three festive season defeats in succession against Liverpool, West Brom and Arsenal – all at Old Trafford!
“I think he has been fortunate that even though he may not have started at his best, United have won their matches,” added Bailey.
“As long as you keep winning people will give you space and time. He’ll be given a chance because United are winning matches and are at the top of the division.
“I remember when Massimo Taibi signed and he made some mistakes and because United lost matches that was it. I think Ben Foster is a very good goalkeeper but he got his chance when Edwin van der Sar was injured, had a difficult game in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and he was replaced.
“There is no opportunity to recover when you are at a club that needs to be winning all the time.
“But the team have been outstanding and David has now made a crucial penalty save at a critical time against Arsenal. It’s a massive help for him.
“It has been quite a baptism but David has got super talent. Eric Steele is a great goalkeeping coach and you know the homework he did on him would have been sound and thorough.
“Sir Alex Ferguson, too, buys well and they’ll have scrutinised him.
“David looks to have great mental strength. I was quite confident and I got through my difficult period and he looks confident as well.
“He’s certainly got the ability. The ingredients are there for a great future for him at United.
“He had a bit of a tough start physically but he’ll get used to that. He has a good pair of hands so it is just a case of getting used to knowing you will be hit by opponents.
“He will have to learn to catch the ball at its highest point because you cannot wait for it to drop that is when they’ll batter into you.
“Maybe in Spain he could allow it to drop a bit because if you then did get knocked you could go down and get a foul. Not in England. You generally won’t get anything. But that is something Eric Steele will be working on with him.
“It was even tougher when I played and you had the likes of Everton’s Bob Latchford and Graeme Sharp smashing into you in the air.
“But I had come from a league in South Africa where that kind of thing went on so I was pretty well used to it. The problem I had was the cold and wet. Getting used to play in cold conditions and having to handle a wet football were the things I had to get over.
“Everyone faces a new challenge at a new club or in a different country. David has got a big challenge on his hands but he has the capacity to cope with it and become United’s keeper for a long while.
“If he nails down the position at his age and you think of the young lads in front of him and they can remain the core of the defence then for the next 10 years at least you think wow, what a future.”
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Had De Gea stayed on his line, there'd had been no problem, truthfully who'd have thought Inigo Martinez , had watched the Richard Dunne greatest goals dvd ?
Well, the scorer of that stupid own goal (which defender in his right mind would do that anyway?) didn't even get a single mention on this article, weird. I guess everytime United or Spain U-21 conceded a goal: Blame De Gea. Wow.
Defender at blame stuart not de gea....
David came out to collect the ball, never throught lad would get a touch on it, but he did and we know the rest.
How the hell can that be De Gea's fault?
What if the Georgian goalkeeper's kick had found a Georgian forward?
And what if that forward had similarly kicked on into the open goal left by De Gea?
Clearly not De Geas fault he came off his line quite rightly to collect the ball that was without doubt one of the stupidest things ive ever seen a defender do i mean what on earth was he intending to do with that flick.
Honestly the headline of this article is shameful.
Not De Gea's fault at all, nothing he could do to stop that. De Gea has done pretty well so far as far as I am concerned and will get better.
Flopster was a rubbish keeper who made howler after howler before he was pulled from the squad, what a waste of £1m and how we managed to get £6m for such a poor keeper is beyond me. Taibi had a horrid time when he was here.
Not everyne can be as good as Peter Schmeichel, the greatest keeper of all time.
David de Gea is not Schmeichel, he is not Van Der Sar, he is De Gea and we have to stop expecting everyone to be like Peter because no-one can every be as great as the Great Dane. De Gea will build a great name for himself here at Manchester United in the coming years and along with Chicharito/Cleverley he will be a big factor in us winning many more trophies.
Yes I have watched it and to me
It was a complete fluke goal.
But have all supporters noticed
How far De Gea stands off his
Goal line during matches.
Which sometimes is a recipe
For disaster.
I do worry when he goes walkabouts.
Schmeich's would've saved that, lol.
He is only 20 years old. What where you doing at age of 20? Huh....
Yes, but what would Sneijder have done? That's what we all REALLY want to know!
Stepney had it done to him in the (67 I think) charity shield against Spurs. Jennings took a goal kick and it bounced over Stepneys head. Can happen to anyone if they are way off their line. Remember the Spurs "goal" that Carroll missed then scraped out a couple of yards inside the goal in 05, and was never given? Cant recall who kicked the ball.
That goalie will have a bad back at the end of the season. Wildey Spain.
I fear the worst,not at all convinced.