Sir Alex gives backing to Manchester United keeper David de Gea

By Rob Stanworth

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has publicly backed under-pressure Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea after his latest error against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

The young stopper failed to claim a Steven Gerrard corner which allowed Daniel Agger to head into the back of the net.

Despite an equaliser for Ji Sung-Park, Dirk Kuyt scored in the final minutes to put Liverpool into the fifth round draw with a 2-1 win.

"Our own players created a problem for the first goal. They didn't give him [De Gea] enough room to deal with it," said the Scottish manager.

Since arriving at Old Trafford from Atletico Madrid, de Gea has failed to live up to the hype and a number of error-strewn performances has seen Sir Alex opt for Anders Lindegaard between the posts.