David de Gea aims to emulate Manchester United icon Peter Schmeichel

The 21-year-old goalkeeper has come in for criticism in his maiden season at Old Trafford but is determined to make a success of himself and insists that errors happen to everyone

8 Feb 2012 18:27:00

By George Ankers

More On :  Manchester United, David de Gea
David de gea, manchester united
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David de Gea has declared that he aims to stay at Manchester United for “many years” and emulate club legend Peter Schmeichel’s success at the club.

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The 21-year-old goalkeeper has had a testing start to life in the Premier League since his £18 million move from Atletico Madrid in the summer but is looking up to the Old Trafford great as an example to follow.

“Peter Schmeichel was legendary and a role model for any keeper,” the Spaniard enthused to TalkSPORT of the Dane, who represented the club between 1991 and 1999.

De Gea has attracted criticism from some quarters for making errors in high-profile matches and has been unable to nail down a consistent first-team slot, sharing responsibilities with Anders Lindegaard, but the youngster believes that he is improving.

“Let’s face it, all goalkeepers make mistakes once in a while and none of us like it when we do," he declared.

"Errors happen but I’ve gone on to be more confident in myself.”

The Madrid-born keeper has made 21 appearances in all competitions so far in his debut season for the Red Devils.

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