David de Gea responded perfectly to Gary Neville and "lucky" Jose Mourinho claim

David de Gea has been a mainstay between the sticks for nearly the entirety of his 11-years-and-counting stint at Manchester United.

However, towards the tail-end of last season his status as Red Devils number one appeared to be under serious threat given the growing presence of deputy goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Then came the Europa League final - a dark night for everyone associated with United but for De Gea in particular it was an evening to forget after neither his side nor Villarreal could be separated after 120 minutes of football.

What followed was arguably the worst individual performance a goalkeeper has ever delivered in a major shootout on the European stage.

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After all of the other 21 players on the pitch had stepped up and converted their spot kicks, which in turn meant De Gea had failed to save every single one he faced, it fell on his shoulders to score and keep United in it.

Instead, he hit a tame effort that was saved by his counterpart and saw United's trophy drought continue.

Lesser players may have capitulated under the weight such scrutiny, but De Dea's redemption story this season has been one to behold.

In the wake of the Spain international penning a contract extension in September of 2019, both Roy Keane and Jose Mourinho suggested De Gea was "lucky" to have been offered the £375,000-a-week deal until June 2023.

"I don't see United under pressure because David is going to disappear. Who is going to pay David these numbers?," Mourinho explained.

"So I think he gets a phenomenal contract in the moment where he's a bit lucky to get it."

Keane echoed his sentiments, insisting: "I'm not convinced by his character, putting demands on others.

"Technically he's a good goalkeeper, there's no getting away from that. But I think it's more the package. I've always had my question marks over him."

Another United legend was harsh in his criticism of the shot-stopper around a year later in the clubs first game back during 'Project Restart'.

De Gea was showing some signs of rust after being out of action for months and allowed a Steven Bergwijn shot that was straight at him to end up in his net.

This error prompted Neville to suggest the club could no longer rely on their long-time number one.

"He was the one player United could rely upon for the last four years but he's not the same," he said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

"He hasn't been the same for some time. When form drops for six months it's a blip but when it goes on for a year you start to worry. When it goes over two years it becomes more permanent.

"That is now a fair representation of what De Gea is as he's making lots of mistakes. Ones he would never make - he was always somebody you could completely rely upon."

Fast forward a year and a half later and De Gea has all but once again taken his seat at the table of Europe's most elite goalkeepers.

It has been a turbulent season for United given the pre-season talk of a title tilt was quickly halted when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked before Christmas.

The Norwegian was replaced by former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick, but United's standard have hardly sky-rocketed under his watch.

There have been a number of times during Rangnick's brief interim reign where De Gea has single-handedly kept United in the contest.

His brilliance has been so obvious, ex-United star Andy Cole suggested the side would be much lower than where their current position of fourth without him.

"Without this guy's form, Manchester United are mid-table," the 1999 treble-winner told Premier League Productions

"I don't think anyone can argue about that. His form this season has been unbelievable. That tells me Manchester United are nowhere near where they should be.

"Defensively they are not where they should be at, midfield they are not where they should be at and up front, they are not scoring enough goals.

"Without that man (De Gea), I think they would be really struggling."

It is therefore welcome news for everyone associated with the Red Devils that De Gea has insisted he remains in it for the long run.

The Spaniard will make the trip to Madrid on Wednesday to face his former side Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, but has insisted his heart is now rooted in Manchester.

"I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it's just a city. Now I feel as if I'm from Manchester; I just feel like anyone else from Manchester," the Spaniard told UEFA.

"Where you are loved and welcomed is your home. I've been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly I don't see myself away from Manchester United.

"Of course, I'm going back home [for this tie], I'm going back to the club that gave me the opportunity to be who I am today. But this is just another match. Everyone wants to play well, we want to win, it is a Champions League match.

"Obviously, I wish Atletico all the best, but I don't know whether the fact we're playing them is a good or bad omen. Everyone is going there to win, especially me."