David De Gea’s clean sheet record for Man Utd as he equals Peter Schmeichel mark
By Tom White, PA Sport Data Journalist
David De Gea’s performance in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Leicester saw him match Peter Schmeichel’s clean sheet record for the club.
De Gea’s 180th shut-out moved him alongside Red Devils great Schmeichel and here, the PA news agency looks at the Spaniard’s record and how it compares.
De Gea has kept 140 of those clean sheets in the Premier League, ranking fifth in the competition’s history and just one behind David Seaman in fourth. Schmeichel’s 128 rank 11th in a table headed by former Chelsea and Arsenal keeper Petr Cech with 202.
The Spaniard’s efforts against Leicester took him into double figures for a ninth season out of 12 since moving to England.
He has 154 in domestic competition overall, also including five in the FA Cup and eight in the League Cup plus one in the 2013-14 Community Shield.
A further 26 in Europe – 18 in the Champions League and eight in the Europa League, including four already this season – have seen him haul in Schmeichel, who tweeted his congratulations on De Gea’s “fantastic achievement” after the “hard-earned” denial of Leicester.
De Gea’s clean sheets have come in 521 United appearances overall, compared to just 398 for Schmeichel. Alex Stepney ranks third in United’s history with 175 clean sheets, with Gary Bailey (161) and Edwin van der Sar (135) the other keepers to rack up a century.
De Gea’s best season came in 2017-18 under Jose Mourinho’s management, with 18 clean sheets in the league and another four in the Champions League for a total of 22.
He also passed 20 in 2013-14, with 12 in the league, five in Europe, three in the League Cup and one in the Community Shield, and was just one short in 2015-16.
He has reached double figures across all competitions every season – his lowest league tally, seven in 2018-19, was added to by three in the Champions League.
With 15 shutouts in 34 games this season, De Gea has already matched his fifth-best total for United and is only one behind his fourth-ranked 2016-17 campaign.