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Is David de Gea the best goalkeeper in the world? Jamie Carragher thinks so but we assess the other candidates with the help of legendary 'keeper Peter Schmeichel…
David de Gea made yet another superb save to keep the scores level in Manchester United's draw at Liverpool on Saturday and his reputation continues to grow. So is he now the world's best goalkeeper? "I think he is," Jamie Carragher told Monday Night Football. "From what I see, if I was picking a world XI then David de Gea would be in it."
With Carragher alongside Peter Schmeichel in the studio, he went even further. "We are lucky that we have the Premier League's greatest-ever goalkeeper here but I think De Gea is second," he added. "There have been some great Premier League goalkeepers - David Seaman, Petr Cech, especially when he was at Chelsea - but I would have De Gea second."
As for Schmeichel himself, he picked out three of the game's very best for particular praise. Here's his verdict on a trio of goalkeeping stars…
MANUEL NEUER (BAYERN MUNICH)
A Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and a World Cup winner with Germany, Manuel Neuer is admired for his unusually aggressive style of goalkeeping. "My favourite goalkeeper at the moment is Manuel Neuer and has been for a long, long time and that's because of the style of goalkeeping that he gives to the world," said Schmeichel.
"I watched him when he played for Schalke at Old Trafford and my eyes were like this [thinking] who is this young kid? He is brave, he is playing so far out of his goal. He is one of the very few goalkeepers who is actually off his line, far off his line, challenging the opposition and bringing the game to him. I like that."
DAVID DE GEA (MANCHESTER UNITED)
De Gea has been named in the Premier League PFA team of the season in four of the last five years and is favourite to make it again after his Anfield heroics to deny Joel Matip. "It is like he is gliding over, he's not even touching the ground," said Schmeichel. "It is how quickly that foot comes across and then how quickly he is up there and back on his feet.
"This is what makes him different to so many of the others guys out there that we consider to be top 10. It's a quickness, it's an intelligence if you like. He understands what is happening in the game. He moves so quickly into the right position."
THIBAUT COURTOIS (CHELSEA)
Although De Gea has taken the bulk of the individual accolades, it is the younger Thibaut Courtois who has won more Premier League titles. "I think Courtois is an unbelievable goalkeeper," said Schmeichel. "He's big and he does save a lot and that's really good, but where he really comes into prominence for me is that he dictates how Chelsea play.
"He comes out for crosses all the time. Not many goalkeepers are doing this. That means that you don't need to have that many defenders. Eventually, and this is where he is now with the reputation that he's built, in every team-talk I can imagine that the manager will say: 'Keep the ball away from Courtois because he is going to pick it out the air'.
"When you are at that point then all of the crosses into the box will be penalty spot or further out and I am telling you that it takes some header to beat a goalkeeper like that from there."
BEST OF THE REST
Schmeichel also had positive words for Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, while Jan Oblak continues to impress at Atletico Madrid. With Gianluigi Buffon still starring for Juventus and another potential Italian superstar stopper emerging in the form of Gianluigi Donnarumma, there are plenty of candidates. But who do you rate as the very best?
