Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand claims David De Gea does need competition for his place in the first team if he is to continue his career at Old Trafford.

The Spaniard has had two seasons of inconsistent performances and the return of Dean Henderson from his loan spell at Sheffield United has prompted talk that the 23-year-old could replace United’s current number one in goal. Ferdinand believes that pressure could be the motivation De Gea needs to recapture his form for the Red Devils:

” I think he can still be a big player for United, but he has a point to prove again now. He has had tough times before and has come back. He’s a great goalkeeper and over the years he has been fantastic for United. He was player of the year four out of six years or whatever it was, but if you are not pouring the goods over an extended period of time you have to be told and there has to be someone waiting in the wings to come in.”

As we have seen with other goalkeepers in the past, confidence does play a big role and while De Gea has not had a huge dropoff in his performances, the increase in the number of mistakes over the past 18 months to two years has been alarming.

If Henderson’s return does refocus the Spanish international’s mind, as Ferdinand hopes, we could perhaps see the return to the sort of form that made him the world’s best keeper.