'De Gea is a freak!' - Man Utd star sees God-given talent hailed by Lindegaard

A former Red Devils goalkeeper has saluted the qualities of the club's current No. 1 and compared his game to that of Manchester City rival Ederson 

David de Gea has seen his freakish qualities hailed by former Manchester United goalkeeping rival Anders Lindegaard.

The Spain international arrived at Old Trafford in 2011 as a raw talent with undoubted potential top reach the top.

He endured a baptism of fire in the Premier League, with flaws identified early, but a meteoric rise now sees him widely heralded as one of the finest performers in world football.

Lindegaard is among those to have been impressed by the 27-year-old’s development, with a man who always had the God-given tools to be a superstar now putting them to the best possible use.

The former United custodian, who is now on the books at Burnley, told the Daily Mail on De Gea: “When he came from Spain he looked like a straw that was standing in the lake, just waving in the wind.

“He was so skinny. He must have been 75/80 kilos and when I left he was massive. He's a tall guy, but he's massive and he's well-trained.

“And then I think he's got freak-long arms.

“If he holds them down he can almost touch his ankles when he's standing straight, which is another dimension to him that he's just been blessed by God.”

While quick to salute De Gea’s skill set, Lindegaard has acknowledged that he is not the only world-class performer in Manchester.

Two of the finest shot-stoppers in the Premier League are set to lock horns on derby day this Saturday, with City having seen Brazil international Ederson star during his debut campaign in Engand.

“These are the two best goalkeepers,” Lindegaard added.

“I think David is a better shot-stopper and in that respect he saves more points for United.

“But on the other hand Ederson I think wins more points for City than David does for United, if you understand what I mean.

“They're similar but still different. They're both good with their feet, but Ederson is better than David is. David is safe with his kicking.

“His kicking is at the top level, but that launching pass Ederson has got is a different dimension, you haven't seen it in football before probably.”