Gary Neville and Jaap Stam are at odds over which Manchester United player should be handed the club’s player of the season.
United have just endured their worst ever Premier League season, finishing sixth on just 58 points. Many fingers have been pointed in many different places as a result, making it hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.
However, some players can still hold their heads high despite the torrid term. Two of them will go down as United heroes regardless.
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Cristiano Ronaldo is the club’s darling, and polished this status with 24 goals this season. Meanwhile, at the other end, David de Gea has refound his gloves after a tricky prior 18 months and saved United a sackful of points.
And Neville believes it is the Spanish goalkeeper who should be picking up the player of the season accolade. Speaking to United's website, he said: “How many times has David De Gea won it since Sir Alex left?
“I’m going to go for De Gea, to be honest with you. The only other two I could think of would be Fred and Ronaldo.
“We’d be in dire straits without Ronaldo’s goals but I think, without De Gea, we’d be dead! I could say Ronaldo. I’d go De Gea, Ronaldo, then Fred, in that order.”
Quinton Fortune and Antonio Valencia both agreed with the Sky Sports pundit. However, Stam thought Ronaldo should be bestowed the top honour.
He argued: “I would give it to Ronaldo. I think since he stepped in, there’s been a lot of people saying things and sometimes there’s been a lot of criticism as well.
“But I think it’s unbelievable. If you’re 37, I believe, and you’re still performing, producing and scoring… I think he’s open for criticism but he’s helping other people out as well.
“He’s doing his best. He’s trying to lead the team, so I think he deserves it.”
While referencing both Ronaldo and De Gea in his player of the season assessment, ex-defender John O’Shea also name-checked Anthony Elanga, Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay and Fred.
That said, he ultimately stayed non-committal, summarising: “You’re wanting that one standout player but it’s been a bit more of a challenge this year.” United supporters who voted in a Manchester Evening News poll chose their clear winner earlier this month.
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