Ashley Young comes to the defence of out of form David de Gea

"You can only imagine what's been said in that dressing room but that stays with us"

Ashley Young has jumped to defend Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea after a poor run of form and uncharacteristic mistakes from the Spaniard have seen United lose seven of their last nine matches in all competitions. A 4-0 loss to Everton was a particular low as United's chances of a top four finish were dealt a heavy blow. A high profile mistake against Barcelona in the Champions League in particular drew criticism towards De Gea, who has dipped well below the high standards he has set for himself over the past few seasons. But United's de facto captain has defended him, calling him the best goalkeeper in the world. "David is a world-class player. He's probably the best in the world for me," Young told Sky Sports.

"When he lets a few goals in people are going to criticise him but for me it starts at the front, the midfield, defenders - if the ball doesn't get that far back the other team doesn't have a chance to score.

"It's not just him that should be criticised, it's the whole team. He's a confident person who will be ready for the challenge on Sunday."

Young also rubbished talk of a dressing room mutiny after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's honeymoon period as a manager came to an abrupt end shortly after he was hired on a permanent basis.

"You've got to when things aren't going well," he said.

"You can only imagine what's been said in that dressing room but that stays with us.

"I know what the strength is, the characters in the dressing room, the spirit in the team we've got here. I know everybody wants to win those games and finish the season in the top four.

"There's going to be a lot of people turn round and say they know the club but when you're in it day in, day out, they're the ones that really do. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. But there's so many leaders in this team."