Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes September's game at Stoke was the turning point for goalkeeper David de Gea.
United defender looks back on an important game for 'keeper
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes September's game at Stoke was the turning point for goalkeeper David de Gea.
The Spanish shot-stopper was under intense scrutiny going into the game at the Britannia Stadium as he looked to justify his £18million price-tag after signing from Atletico Madrid in the summer.
Some inconsistent performances earlier in the season, particularly against West Brom, had led to criticism against the 20-year-old.
But, despite conceding to Peter Crouch in a game that finished 1-1, he won praise for how he dealt with the physical presence from the Potters.
De Gea then made several top-class saves against Liverpool in their 1-1 draw on Saturday and prevented the Red Devils' first defeat of the season as he kept out efforts from Jordan Henderson and Dirk Kuyt.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side travel to Romania for a UEFA Champions League clash with Otelul Galati this Tuesday, with Ferdinand left out of the squad.
But the 32-year-old, who also missed last month's trip to Benfica, is happy with the progression De Gea has made over the last few weeks.
Pivotal
He said: "The game against Stoke was a pivotal moment for him. There was a lot of pressure on him.
"People expected things to go wrong for him because of the size of the opponents and how Stoke put pressure on the goalkeeper.
"He dealt with that game brilliantly, which was huge confidence-wise.
"I didn't notice a change in him because he is not an emotional type of guy or someone who is that animated, but you can tell from his performances since that he is looking more comfortable and confident.
"David had big shoes to fill but he will tell you himself he has loads of things to learn and loads of things still to do in the game before we can start comparing him to anyone.
"He is showing why the club spent so much money on him and went out big to get him."
