Great Dane told to button it over David de Gea...

One of the more interesting snippets of news over last week was the confirmation that Ferguson has told Peter Schmeichel to keep his opinions to himself in relation to new boy David de Gea. United's Spanish stopper had what can only be described as a nightmare at Wembley in Sunday's 3-2 Community Shield win over Manchester City.

United went into the half-time interval two-nil down and for many it was hard to accept that fact, given the team's performance over the first 35 minutes in which the champions dominated, but then in a calamitous five minute spell, City scored twice.

De Gea didn't cover himself in glory on City's opening goal and he was badly at fault for the Citizen' second goal. United fans have predictably been jumping to the defence of the new goalkeeper, which is only to be expected. Nonetheless, it hasn't stopped the introspection which comes with the territory, with many pundits and fans alike asking questions about the poor marking on both of City's goals - but we cannot ignore the fact that the goalkeeper was also at fault too.

Peter Schmeichel is by common consensus, United's greatest ever 'keeper and so it is only natural that the media turn to him occasionally for his goalkeeping opinions. However, the former United star said "I have promised not to interfere, but will make one comment," he told The Mirror.

"I think it is absolutely ridiculous, listening to people already criticising him after one game.

"Everyone in this country always gets a chance, so what is the point of doing that now?"

So why exactly did United (presumably Ferguson himself) ask the great Dane to keep his opinions to himself on this occasion? The answer to that question is quite simple; Schmeichel recently spoke out about United's other new goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard. Schmeichel basically implied his fellow compatriot wasn't up to playing for Manchester United.

Being a goalkeeper at any club is difficult, because you simply cannot afford to make many mistakes, when you do, the ball will invariably end up in the back of the net and as a result the pressure can be immense, but at a club like Manchester United that pressure is so much the greater.

When mistakes happen, there is a rush to take collective responsibility by the players and staff, but in relation to goalkeepers at United recent history tells us you can only defend a goalkeeper for so long; Ben Foster, among others, is testimony to that.

Mistakes lead to a breakdown in confidence between goalkeeper and the players in front of him and when that confidence is broken, that is when the manager has to act.

There's no doubt that Schmeichel knows what it takes to be a top goalkeeper and it therefore begs the question - why on earth the club hasn't sought the advice of the great Dane in relation to recruiting Edwin van der Sar's successor? Fergie is one of the few who can answer that question and maybe one day the manager will shed light on that one.

For now and looking forward to the season ahead, it is to be hoped that David de Gea is the right man to replace Edwin van der Sar, but respected commentators like Gabriele Marcotti are already saying the manager has taken a 'giant leap of faith' when paying what was a club record for de Gea.

Over the weekend, it emerged that in La Liga last season, de Gea conceded more goals from outside the penalty area than any other 'keeper - a stat that will have been greeted with plenty of raised eyebrows....Other pundits have hinted that de Gea might not be ready to make such a big move at this stage of his career.

So how long will de Gea be given at United? That question will only be answered over time, and hopefully, the young Spaniard will bounce back with a run of good games, and if that happens everyone including Schmeichel will be delighted.