David de Gea nicknamed 'Karius' by Spain teammate and Real Madrid star Asensio

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past year or so. Since the 2018 World Cup, De Gea has made glaring errors in goal for Man United and Spain and cost the Red Devils a place in the FA Cup final on Sunday. The Spaniard gifted Chelsea two goals either side of half-time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side slipped to a disappointing 3-1 defeat, ending their 19-match unbeaten run.  

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Real Madrid stars Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez dubbed David de Gea as 'Karius' in 2018 

Man United faced off against Real Madrid in a pre-season friendly during the International Champions Cup. Real Madrid were fresh from their third successive Champions League victory, thanks to an error-strewn display from Liverpool's goalkeeper Loris Karius in the final. Following the Champions League triumph, Real Madrid stars Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez joined up with the Spain squad for the 2018 World Cup. David de Gea had a disastrous campaign, letting in six of the seven shots he faced in Russia. When Man United met Real Madrid in a friendly fixture after, Marco Asensio drew parallels between Karius and the David de Gea mistakes. In a video that has been doing the rounds on social media, Asensio is seen labelling David de Gea as 'Karius' in the tunnel before the game, further denting the Spaniard's confidence. 

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David de Gea mistakes: Paul Scholes defends Man United goalkeeper

David de Gea has been mentioned in the same sentence as Loris Karius in recent times thanks to some debacle-filled displays over the past 18 months. Calls for the Spanish international to be dropped have been growing especially with on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson excelling at Sheffield United. Man United legend Paul Scholes offered words of encouragement for David de Gea on Instagram, suggesting the 29-year-old will be back to his best and his displays were the reason why Man United finished in the top 10 for the past six seasons.

Scholes' long-time teammate Rio Ferdinand, on the other hand, launched a scathing criticism of the Man United star, suggesting that the Man United No. 1 isn't in a position to be defended by the fans. De Gea's place in the starting line-up is a doubt ahead of Man United's game against relegation-threatened West Ham, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer likely to go with backup goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

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(Image Courtesy: David de Gea Instagram)