BOUNCE BACK

Darren Fletcher has defended his teammate David de Gea by saying that the Spanish goalie should not be criticized for the mistake that he committed towards the end of the Capital One Cup game against Sunderland.

United were ahead by 1-0 in that match and were well on their way to secure a win, but, with just about a couple of minutes to go, the Black Cats managed to level the scores courtesy de Gea’s fumble. However, that didn’t make much of a difference as moments later, the Red Devils managed to restore their lead with a Javier Hernandez goal. But, despite that goal, they didn’t make it to the final of the tournament as the aggregate score of the semi final tie had become 3-3. So, the tie eventually went into the penalty shootouts in which United lost.

Just as the game ended, people started criticizing de Gea, but, Fletcher doesn’t think it’s fair. According to him, the Spaniard has been terrific right since the summer and to bash him for just one mistake is a bit harsh.

Talking to the reporters yesterday, Fletcher said, “David’s performance in the recent times has been great. I don’t think any goalie has performed better than him in the last one and half years. Everybody makes mistakes, and David is no different, but, he is a class act and he will bounce back.”

When asked about losing to the Black Cats in the penalty shootouts, the Scottish midfielder said, “The momentum was in our favour when the penalties started, but, unfortunately, we couldn’t hit the target often enough. To find the net only once and that too when you are playing at Old Trafford, it’s gutting.”

Manchester United’s next match is a Premier League encounter against Cardiff City on Tuesday.