Manchester United Icon Passes Judgement on David De Gea

Manchester United legend Edwin Van der Sar has urged David De Gea to seize his opportunity at Old Trafford.

The precocious Spaniard, while patently talented, has struggled under the burden of expectation at Manchester United which has evidently been exasperated by the man he has had to replace at Old Trafford.

De Gea was recalled for Sunday's trip to Stamford Bridge and while he made a stunning save to deny compatriot Juan Mata, question marks surrounding the 21-year-old's suitability for the task perpetually abound the heavily scrutinised youngster.

Van der Sar concedes playing at Manchester United and in the Premier League is a "demanding" proposition for any goalkeeper let alone one not accustomed to the permissive referee and robust nature of English football and indeed the language.

The former Holland international believes the £18.3 million fee Manchester United paid Atletico Madrid in the summer demands that De Gea must "deal" with the scrutiny.

"It's always difficult if you're coming into a new club and new league, especially the English one. It's a very demanding one, can be a very tough one." The Manchester United legend told Sky Sports News.

"He has to deal with that. They paid a lot of money for him and he has to come through that."

Although Manchester United have evidently had their problems in goal since the evergreen Dutchman called time on his illustrious career, Van der Sar claims he has not been tempted, like Paul Scholes, to come out of retirement.

"I got a few text messages from friends saying, 'What about you?'," Van der Sar said. "I'm quite happy at the moment. There's no doubt in my mind."

While Van der Sar is content with his decision to retire, he admits he was not surprised to see Scholes make his somewhat surprise comeback.

The Manchester United icon continued: "I was at Carrington and he was watching a training session and I said, 'So, how do you like it?'.

"He said, 'Not really. I miss it'. He was still there doing his work as an assistant coach with the reserve team so it was probably a little bit easier to get back in."