David de Gea has been Manchester United’s unquestionable first-choice goalkeeper since his arrival back in 2011.

Many back-ups have come and gone with none able to knock the Spaniard from his pedestal.

New manager Erik ten Hag gave de Gea the benefit of the doubt and placed his full trust in the once-brilliant shot-stopper in his first season in charge in England.

But since, de Gea has not had the prettiest of years, shipping four at Brentford, six away to Manchester City and seven in United’s latest drubbing in front of a bellowing Anfield crowd.

The sole blame does not land at de Gea’s feet, but in the same breath, his deficiencies have been highlighted somewhat.

A young brave incoming to compete for the sacred goalkeeper spot is necessary to allow Erik ten Hag to integrate his philosophy into United and to get them to play the cleanest football they can.

The availability of a relatively young goalkeeper that offers ample experience at a high level is low, with Gianluigi Donnarumma almost untouchable.

So, that means United should turn their attention to Diogo Costa.

Diogo Costa is a calm, collected head with the ball at his feet and as football adapts, it is imperative to have your goalkeeper able to dictate play from the deepest position on the field.

The primary responsibility of a goalkeeper is to concede the least, of course, and while his playmaking attributes are his strong point, he is still able to proactively claim loose crosses and act as a sweeper.

De Gea is known as an elite shot-stopper, but Costa has outperformed him in all metrics this season, surprisingly.

The 22-year-old’s long passing ability is exemplary, beating United’s number 1 in passes attempted, pass completion and total passing distance.

It’s worth noting that Costa recently dedicated his future to Porto until 2027, but a release clause of around £75m is apparently included.

It’s a tall order, but for a talent-laden goalkeeper with a wide skillset, the price is fair.