Sir Alex Ferguson only missed two Manchester United matches.. one for son’s wedding and another to scout David De Gea
Spain stopper was hailed as world's best after equalling Premier League record of 14 saves in match against Arsenal
FORMER Manchester United keeper coach Eric Steele has revealed the extreme lengths Sir Alex Ferguson went to to sign David De Gea.
United snapped up the Spaniard in June 2011 for £19million from Atletico Madrid.
But Fergie amazingly missed a League Cup win over Scunthorpe on September 22, 2010 in order to scout De Gea.
Steele told the Daily Mail: "I can only remember Sir Alex Ferguson missing two United matches.
"He missed a Manchester derby in 2000 for his son’s wedding. The other time? To scout the brilliant David de Gea."
"I joined United in 2008 and, from that moment, we needed to be ready for the day Edwin Van Der Sar retired.
"I was convinced that a 19-year-old De Gea was the right man to replace him. I showed a three-minute DVD compilation to Sir Alex and then we went to watch him play for Atletico Madrid at Valencia on the night United played Scunthorpe in the League Cup.
"Sir Alex knew he was the right signing inside 65 minutes. David showed composure, concentration and reflexes. He made one terrific save that went through a load of bodies."
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De Gea, 27, equalled the Premier League records for saves in a match against Arsenal.
His 14 stops put him level with Tim Krul and Vito Mannone.
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Speaking after the game De Gea, who has been on Real Madrid's radar for the past few years, said: "Sometimes, you just start a game with a really good save, with a good feeling.
"You feel that [unbeatable] but we started the game really well, we scored two important goals and it’s true that we lost a bit of control of the game after, but it was a good performance."
The Spain stopper, hailed by United boss Jose Mourinho as the best keeper in the world, reckoned his second half double save was the pick of the bunch.
He continued: "Probably the double save when we were winning 2-1 [in the second half].
"I think that was the most important save but, like I said, the full team defended very well and fought for the three points.
"Yes, he nearly scored an own goal, but I saved that ball and after that, I think he did a really good job."