David De Gea Wins 2018 Premier League Golden Glove
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured ColumnistMay 10, 2018
By helping hold West Ham to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea assured himself the Premier League Golden Glove.
The 27-year-old is the first United goalkeeper to earn the Golden Glove since Edwin van der Sar in 2008-09.
United's official Twitter account shared De Gea's thoughts on the award:
Thursday's draw assures the Red Devils a second-place finish in the Premier League regardless of their result Sunday against Watford. While that match would've provided De Gea an opportunity to get a 19th clean sheet, United manager Jose Mourinho told the BBC he'll start Sergio Romero on Sunday, per the Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst.
No player has been more important for United this season than De Gea, per Opta Joe:
OptaJoe @OptaJoe14 - David de Gea has conceded 23 league goals this season (excl. OGs), but based on Opta xG data for the shots on target he's faced, the average goalkeeper would've been expected to concede 37 goals. This is the biggest differential by a PL goalkeeper in 2017-18. Match-Winner. https://t.co/SRC8VpsKEQ
Especially for a Mourinho-coached side, Manchester United's defense has been somewhat shaky. Despite that, United have conceded 28 goals, second-fewest in the Premier League behind champions Manchester City, and De Gea is a big reason why.
The Sun's Daniel Cutts (h/t MailOnline's Kate McGreavy) reported in April that De Gea and United were close to sealing a five-year contract extension worth £350,000 per week. It wouldn't appear the club has to worry about losing the world-class goalkeeper after what was his best year in the Premier League.