In most cases, the player who wins the club's official Player of the Season award can be used to determine whether Manchester United is having a dismal season. David de Gea holds the current record for the most Matt Busby awards, having received four of them. During half of those seasons, United was forced to fire its manager following a bad season.

There were no trophies for the other two, but they still managed to play in the top four in the league. Even if we were to achieve it before the end of the season, it would take a lot of effort. Following their Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid last week, Manchester United will finish the campaign with another year without a trophy, while crucial victories for Arsenal and Tottenham over the weekend demonstrated just how difficult it will be to finish in the top four in the remaining league games of the season.

United's star player has once again been David De Gea, who is a leading contender for the Premier League's best player award at the end of the campaign. That would bring the total number of victories to five, with three of those coming after the first-team manager was fired.

Despite the well-documented renaissance of the Spaniard following the struggle with Dean Henderson last season, a change in management this summer offers the opportunity for a fresh start and, as a result, the re-introduction of the divisive player-selection controversy.

Erik ten Hag continues to be the top contender for Manchester United in their search for a new manager, and his appointment at Old Trafford might herald a shift in the club's tactical approach, with a focus on playing out from the back and launching attacks from the goalkeeper.

As a result, the Dutchman may well prioritise distributional talents over shot-stopping, which might give Dean Henderson his final lifeline at the club in a summer where he appears destined to go.

United's No. 1 has 'prevented' more predicted goals than anybody else this season, according to an in-depth Reddit AMA with Squawka. According to the quality of the shots on target that he has faced, Wolves' goalkeeper has conceded 8.7 goals fewer than expected, while De Gea has conceded 4.9 goals fewer than projected.

The Spaniard continues to be a master at saving the ball, which is, of course, his primary responsibility. He looks to be a liability while he is in possession due to his terrible distribution, which appears to be a result of his individual brilliance, which appears to be a result of his poor distribution.

None of the goalkeepers who have played at least 20 games in the Premier League this season have had fewer 'keeper sweepings' (when a goalkeeper anticipates danger and rushes off his or her line to try to either cut out an attacking pass or close down an opposing player) than De Gea, who currently has the lowest total in the league. Sá is once again at the top of the leaderboard, with 27 points, followed by Alisson, who has 21 points. De Gea has a total of four.

The Spaniard also has the lowest pass completion rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season, with fellow Spaniard Robert Sanchez at the top of the list. Because of this, Luis Enrique has shunned De Gea from the Spanish national team because of his preference for building play from the back.

The data compiled by Squawka shows that De Gea has attempted the fifth-fewest long passes per 90 minutes this season and has also completed the fewest of them, converting 34% of the time.

If Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal hires the Spaniard this summer, having a goalkeeper who can play with his feet could be important. Van Gaal prefers Andre Onana at Ajax, so having a goalkeeper who can play with his feet could be important if he gets the job at Old Trafford.

Man Utd may soon be left with a player of the year award that is a relic from the past.