Since his arrival at Old Trafford in July 2011, David de Gea has become a stalwart in the Manchester United goalkeeping unit, making him one of the club's longest-serving players.

In recent outings, the Spaniard seemed to be regaining his best form after an 18-month slump. It will take him just 22 more games to make 500 appearances for Manchester United, and he has 164 clean sheets in almost 11 years with the club, including nine this season.

Because of this, many were astonished to see him leave the Spain squad during this international break. Paul Woolston, who revealed this week that he is retiring from boxing at the age of 23 because of a recurring hip problem, is one of those.

In 2018, he was able to see firsthand De Gea's brilliance after joining United from Newcastle's Under-23s. Woolston thinks the 31-year-old is the best goalie in the world, and he wrote about it on Manchester United's official website, chanting its praises.

He commented, "The goalkeepers here are amazing." When it comes to training, "there aren't words to describe some of the things David De Gea performs." His compliments also went out to the team's back-up goalkeepers, who collectively have a ton of experience.

"Deano (Dean Henderson) is hard at work behind him, as are Tom Heaton and Lee Grant... The club's goalkeepers are among the finest in the league. As a newcomer, you can learn a lot by simply observing the more experienced players, but they are also a wealth of knowledge when it comes to specific strategies. A fantastic group of young men has grown up around the club."

During his speech, Woolston went into detail about the degree of his hip troubles, including how a difficult surgery left him wheelchair-bound. He talked about how Grant had been a huge help to him during his difficult times.

"Granty has been one of the key support systems for me and my family, apart from the medical professionals," the youngster continued. He's been wonderful, just making sure everything is okay with me.

With him by my side, I've been able to draw on his vast knowledge and expertise, which has been invaluable." That was unnecessary of him, and I'm sure he has no idea what a big assistance that was."