Luis Enrique praises David de Gea after impressive performance versus England

Spain manager Luis Enrique has heaped praise on goalkeeper David de Gea after he starred during the Nations League triumph over England on Friday night. The Manchester United shot-stopper had received stick from the country’s supporters after his average showing during the recent World Cup but he managed to make amends with a confidence performance against the Three Lions.

De Gea was called on to make a number of saves during the course of the game but the most influential of the lot came from a Marcus Rashford from the point-blank range. As such, Enrique was appreciative of the efforts of the United number one, who came through the fixture without making a single error of judgement.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the La Roja boss said: “I'm especially happy about David's performance. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and has proven it in the Premier League week in, week out. I never had any doubts. Errors sometimes help you to improve and grow up.”

“ De Gea has widely been regarded as the best shot-stopper in the Premier League over the past “few seasons but he has not been able to maintain a similar consistency“ at the international stage “. As such, De Gea’s position was questioned during the recent summer World Cup but he has nevertheless earned the faith of new manager Enrique.

Meanwhile, on the personal scale, De Gea has continued to remain the number one for United for the eighth second running but there remain concerns regarding his long-term future with the club. United boss Jose Mourinho has already confirmed that talks are underway to commit the Spaniard to a new contract but the keeper is supposedly reluctant to pen an extension beyond June 2019 unless he is offered a 50 per cent hike on his current £200,000-a-week wages.