03/09/2017 09:09, Report by Adam Marshall

David De Gea says he will always keep his feet on the ground despite some pundits reckoning he is the top goalkeeper in the world.

The Manchester United star was in goal for Spain in the crunch World Cup qualifier against Italy at the Bernabeu on Saturday, keeping a clean sheet in a superb 3-0 victory, with Gianluigi Buffon at the other end of the pitch. Buffon is nearing the end of his glittering career but is another man in the frame for the accolade of the top keeper on the planet.

So what does the Reds' no.1 think when people speak of him as possibly the world's best? "Of course, you feel really proud when people think this about you," he told MUTV in the summer. "It’s really good, but I like to keep my focus, keep working hard and doing my best. 

"To be fair, when you are really young, you don’t think about the future too much, you just want to play with your friends. When you get older, you start to dream about being there, about being at a top team, so of course it’s a dream to be at a team like Manchester United."

Another question posed to the Spaniard was when did he actually realise he was a top keeper? "It’s difficult," he replied, honestly. "I don’t know. I never thought that when I was young. 

"Maybe when I was 15 or 16 years old, I started feeling better, thinking that I could play at a high level. At the same time, I was also playing tennis and things like that, but I was always better at football. I played some basketball too, but football is what I love."

Tennis and basketball's loss has certainly been football's gain.