De Gea must overcome biggest Man Utd weakness if he's to thrive under Ten Hag

Manchester United's David De Gea was one of the few players that came out of last season with any credit.

The Reds accumulated their lowest ever Premier League points tally, with their defence proving to be one of the biggest downfalls. But although they shipped a sizeable 57 goals last season, De Gea was a big reason why it didn't prove to be more.

It's easy to forget that heading into the campaign, De Gea was set to start as United's number two behind Dean Henderson. However, the England international's injury during the summer opened the door for De Gea to again show his importance to Man United.

Henderson has been sent to Nottingham Forest on loan for this up-and-coming campaign, highlighting that new boss Erik ten Hag is placing his full belief in the 31-year-old. That faith is certainly understandable based on the level of De Gea's performances from a shot-stopping perspective last season.

His excellence in this department can be captured by looking at the Spanish international's Post-shot Expected Goals (PSxG) numbers. PSxG is a metric that determines just how good a shooting opportunity is. It considers a range of factors including the distance from goal, the angle of the shot, the pace of the effort, how it was assisted and what part of the body was used to hit the ball. This is done by utilising historical shot data.

The benefit of the same for goalkeepers is that we can use this data to better analyse whether they should have conceded more or fewer goals based on the shots they have faced.

According to FBref, De Gea had the second-best overperformance in terms of PSxG across the whole division with +6.7, effectively indicating he was responsible for United conceding roughly seven goals fewer than they should have last season.

While his ability in this regard is obviously an asset, his contributions with the ball at his feet were often lacking, and that could prove to be a big issue under Ten Hag. The Dutchman will look to use his goalkeeper as an extra body in possession and the main player to kickstart the team's passing sequences.

Last season though, around 51.2 per cent of his goal-kicks were launched long and around 37 per cent of his open play passes went long too. That average is noticeably higher than other league rivals such as Liverpool 's Alisson (22.5 per cent) and Manchester City 's Ederson (24 per cent).

Perhaps the most telling proof of De Gea's discomfort though was that no Premier League team's keeper attempted fewer open play passes (614).

His ability with the ball at his feet may not have been a huge priority in the past, but it will be with Ten Hag at the helm. Henderson's loan move might mean short-term competition is minimal, however his position in the side may soon come under scrutiny if he's not able to adapt quickly.