David de Gea is 6ft 4in but even he looks up to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – quite literally. There is an expression on the Manchester United goalkeeper’s face that says as much as he does. It is one that José Mourinho hopes will find its echo in opponents when they line up alongside his side in the tunnel. The Portuguese manager, described by his goalkeeper as a “winner”, is building a talented team; he is also building an intimidating one.
United’s goalkeeper admits that this Saturday’s derby feels bigger than any he has experienced in the five years he has spent at Old Trafford; his team is bigger, too. “There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of emotion in Manchester; we just hope it is us who take the three points,” he says. That physical presence, allied to what De Gea describes as a “leap in quality”, is one of the reasons why United are optimistic that they can do so.
When Manchester City line up in the Old Trafford tunnel on Saturday, they will look across at De Gea, Eric Bailly, Marouane Fellaini, all big, powerful men. And then there’s Ibrahimovic. “When you see Zlatan up close, he’s even more imposing than on the television,” De Gea says, puffing out his cheeks, raising his brow and rolling his eyes.
De Gea believes that United are well equipped to compete this season after a perfect start that suggests that the two sides who meet on Saturday may be the strongest contenders for the title. At Old Trafford, the shift has been striking, the goalkeeper admitting that they look like a different team now. It has been quicker than anticipated too, although the Spaniard says that he thinks that the speed with Paul Pogba has settled should not come as such a great surprise.
“He was here a few years ago, he knows the Premier League, what it is all about, he knows the club, and that has helped; he has adapted and settled extremely quickly,” De Gea says. “He’s really top class, a fantastic player, top midfielder.”
“Zlatan is very, very big, very strong and his control of the ball is incredible. It can seem like he’s not there, he’s not there, and then he goes and scores the decisive goal.
“The new signings and a new manager have given us a leap in quality,” he adds. “We have played four very good games so far and what we have to do now is continue in the same way. We’re a very well-organised team, the manager is a winner and he transmits that very well. We have three or four new players who have adapted very well, very quickly. They’re top players.”
De Gea returned from international duty on Tuesday this week alongside David Silva and Nolito. So, has he spoken to them? “Yes,” he says. And? “May the best team win.”