Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gareth Bale has said that goalkeeper David de Gea should expect a tough physical battle when the two sides meet Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Spaniard has had a difficult start to life in the Premier League - with several blunders already - and Bale has vowed to test the new United signing as much as possible on Monday night.
“It’s obviously going to be nerve-racking for him [de Gea] to go to United and be in the first team, but he showed at Atletico Madrid and with Spain that he’s a world-class keeper," Bale said according to The Daily Mirror.
“If any keeper’s having a bad time, you’re going to test them and it’s going to be no different.
“We’re going to go to Old Trafford and give our all and test their whole team.”
However, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his confidence in his new goalkeeper, comparing his start to his Old Trafford career to that of the legendary Peter Schmeichel.
Sir Alex said: “David will be fine. He just didn’t get the protection from the challenges.
“He had an elbow in the face, the boy went under him – it was bad.
“It’s disappointing not getting the protection.
“But he’s at home on Monday, so we won’t have a problem.
“It’s just away from home he might be subjected to things like that.”
Gareth Bale
