David de Gea made a horrendous blunder in Manchester United's game against West Ham on Sunday, gifting a goal to Said Benrahma as the Hammers won 1-0.
The error happened in the 27th minute when a speculative effort from outside the box somehow found its way into the back of the net, with De Gea unable to produce a routine save. It is the fourth error De Gea has made in all competitions that has led directly to a goal in all competitions, more than any other Premier League star.
And United fans spotted Marcus Rashford in absolute disbelief after the goal, with the forward seen staring at manager Erik ten Hag with his hands on his head. "Rashford's reaction and look over to ten Hag after De Gea's howler says it all," wrote one fan.
"Rashford's reaction to De Gea's mistake is all of us," wrote another. While a third added: "He's looking at Gaffer like we need a new goalkeeper."
United then failed to get back in the game and have now lost two league games on the bounce, with their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League now in real jeopardy given fifth-placed Liverpool are just one point behind them having played an extra game.
Pundits Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand also questioned De Gea's future after what was his latest mistake, given the Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season. "If he's in contract negotiations, making mistakes like that is never going to help," Crouch told BT Sport.
"He's been a top-class goalkeeper over the years, but at the moment it feels like he's making big errors in big, big games. David de Gea has had a shocker, we can't dress it up. You can't justify it at all, it's a terrible mistake. It's a strange one, because he's conceded goals from his own mistakes but he's also kept the most clean sheets in the league."
"It's a bad mistake," Ferdinand added. "He will take full responsibility for that. His left foot does slip slightly but that's no excuse, he's got full contact on the ball. It's not like he is stretching and getting fingertips on it.
"The question mark about him I think is whether he's good enough with his feet to play the Erik ten Hag way. In terms of shot-stopping, he's made a mistake today - but that's not the area I question him. Is he a good enough footballer to play for Manchester United?"
However, manager Erik ten Hag was quick to defend De Gea after the game and insisted he still wanted the goalkeeper to sign a new contract.
Speaking after the game, Ten Hag said: "He has the most clean sheets in the league so we would not be here in this position without him.
"He fully has my belief. No concerns with him. It happens but as a team you have to deal with it, show character, be resilient and bounce back. We want him to stay and extend his contract."
