Old Trafford hero Andy Cole claims Manchester United would be condemned to a mid-table finish in the Premier League but for David de Gea's regular heroics.
The goalkeeper, 31, has arguably been the Red Devils' best player this season and his teammates had him to thank during Tuesday night's 2-0 victory over Brighton.
While Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines by ending his drought with the decisive goal, that came after De Gea made a vital acrobatic save to deny Jakub Moder and prevent his side entering half-time behind.
The shutout against the Seagulls was only De Gea's sixth clean sheet of the season, but the blame for United's porousness has been rightly pinned on an underperforming defence rather than the Spaniard himself.
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Indeed, former England striker Cole insists the shot-stopper is so important that Ralf Rangnick's side would find themselves far lower than their current fourth-place standing without him.
"Without this guy's form, Manchester United are mid-table," the 1999 treble-winner said of De Gea on Premier League Productions, per Metro.
"I don't think anyone can argue about that. His form this season has been unbelievable. That tells me Manchester United are nowhere near where they should be."
Cole admits United's issues stretch beyond their leaky defence, also criticising the midfield and attack before reiterating De Gea's importance.
He added: "Defensively they are not where they should be at, midfield they are not where they should be at and up front, they are not scoring enough goals.
"Without that man (De Gea), I think they would be really struggling."
De Gea has made a remarkable 92 saves this season - at an average of 3.68 stops per game - which is 12 more than his closest rival, Leeds' Illan Meslier.
But even more telling is the fact he has conceded just 32 goals from shots which have accumulated an expected goals tally of 39.5.
This margin of 9.5 goals prevented is the best in the Premier League and suggests De Gea is an exceptional shot-stopper or has benefitted from good fortune.
The likelihood is both these factors have contributed, but given his phenomenal pedigree it is reasonable to assume his ability is significantly contributing to his over-performance.
De Gea joined from Atletico Madrid for £18.9million in 2011 and he has made 472 appearances for United.
He helped the club win the Premier League in the 2012/13 season and has since added to his trophy cabinet with the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.
