Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has criticised club goalkeeper David de Gea for his performance in the 3-2 defeat by RB Leipzig that saw the Red Devils crash out of the Champions League.
United needed a draw in Germany on Tuesday night to seal their place in the last 16, but they fell 3-0 behind after first-half goals from Man City loanee Angelino and Amadou Haidara and a second-half finish by Justin Kluivert.
Although Bruno Fernandes pulled one back with 10 minutes remaining and an Ibrahima Konate own goal moments later gave the Premier League outfit a chance to salvage a result, United could not find the necessary equaliser.
And Scholes said that De Gea’s goalkeeping for the third Leipzig goal proved costly.
“David de Gea bottles it here [for the third goal], he is scared of getting himself hurt,” Scholes told BT Sport.
“It should never go across the box like that. As a goalkeeper, come out and make yourself as big as you can.
“You might get smashed in the face and you might get injured, but [De Gea] turns his back away.
“He actually makes himself smaller, which is criminal for such an experienced goalkeeper.”
In the other Group H game, Istanbul Basaksehir and hosts Paris Saint-Germain walked off the pitch in the first half after a match official allegedly made a racist remark about a member of the Turkish club’s coaching stuff.
