When David de Gea somehow kept out Luis Muriel's header shortly before half-time in Manchester United's Champions League visit to Sevilla last week, it was a familiar collective sigh of relief which was heard on the away terraces.
Not only had he done similar moments earlier to deny Steven N'Zonzi, but the Spaniard has become recognised as the world's best goalkeeper on the back of countless such interventions over the past five years.
Having struggled during his early months at Old Trafford, De Gea has been United's most consistent player since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson brought about greater pressure on the Red Devils' goalmouth on a weekly basis. The 27-year-old won the club's Player of the Year award in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, prompting Jose Mourinho to announce shortly after his arrival at the club in 2016: "If season after season the goalkeeper is Player of the Season, it means that something is wrong. Hopefully he's not player of the season this season but hopefully he keeps making important saves for us."
But De Gea continues to stand out, and his form has continued to catch the eye of Real Madrid. The European champions attempted to sign the ex-Atletico Madrid star from United in 2015, only to be foiled by a matter of minutes, and there is a real belief that they could launch another bid for him this summer.
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