The Spanish prospect was only 20 and considered to be a raw prospect but Sir Alex Ferguson and his scouting team had done the necessary groundwork and knew we had a top-class keeper on our hands.
Then goalkeeping coach Eric Steele watched De Gea perform in La Liga and decided he had the mentality required to go all the way to the top.
Van der Sar, hero of the 2008 Champions League final triumph against Chelsea, was always going to have huge shoes to fill but this did not concern Ferguson, who had faith in his new recruit.