Manchester United will 'back' David de Gea claims Roy Carroll

Former Old Trafford stopper defends the under-fire Spaniard amid rumours he will be sold in the summer

Manchester United will persist with David de Gea despite concerns over the goalkeeper's form says Roy Carroll.

The former Manchester United stopper says that the Spaniard will receive the backing he needs from Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I feel very sorry for him," Carroll told BBC Radio 5 live.

"You need the manager's backing and I think he's got that because he's played a lot of games since he's come in."

Reports have suggested De Gea will be sold in the summer having failed to adapt to English football.

The Spaniard's weak punch at the weekend which led to Tottenham's late equaliser was just the latest evidence of his struggles with crosses.

While his shot stopping ability is unquestioned, there are also concerns over his tendency to push shots back into dangerous areas as he did with Daniel Sturridge's goal for Liverpool at Old Trafford recently.

That the 22-year-old's pop star girlfriend, Edurne Garcia Almagro, continues to live in Madrid has only fuelled claims he will return to Spain, where his stock remains high, at the end of the season.

Yet Carroll, who now plays for Olympiakos, believes De Gea will remain at Old Trafford and that the £18m signing from Atletico Madrid deserves to be cut some slack.

"He's a very good keeper. He's still young.

"There have been a lot of changes at Manchester United across the back four this season with injuries so I think it's very difficult for him at the moment."

Carroll added that playing for Manchester United puts keepers under the microscope and that inevitably leads to speculation.

"I had four years there but I made a lot of mistakes as well," he said.

"Once you make mistakes, people just never forget about it so I think as a young goalkeeper it's very hard.

"Manchester United are one of the biggest teams in the world and if you make mistakes the press are always on your case all the time - that's what happens at a big club like Manchester United."

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