Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has told his teammates they must shoulder the responsibility of catching Manchester City next season and not just leave it to manager Jose Mourinho.
United have recorded victories over Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal this season but a lack of consistency has prevented a sustained title challenge.
De Gea says that must change next season and insists it is down to the players and not just Mourinho to oversee improvement.
“We’ve got a great manager,” he said in an interview with the Premier League. “He’s very experienced, he’s won everything there is to win in the game. What he is really good at is transmitting his winning mentality to the group. However, at the end of the day, it’s down to ourselves, the players on the field.
“It is us who make the saves, create the chances and score the goals. So, as a group, we’ve got to get that level of consistency and quality throughout the season.”
De Gea, who will be part of the Spain squad at the World Cup this summer, has been named in the PFA team of the year for a fifth time and is on course to win the Golden Glove award for most clean sheets.
The 27-year-old has 17 in 34 games — two more than nearest challenger Ederson with four games remaining.
“I’m pretty pleased with my performance,” added De Gea.
“It’s been a fairly complete, all round set of performances from me.
“I’ve felt good, felt fit and in good form physically throughout the season.
“Let’s hope that these last few games to go before the end of the season continue the form, then leading into the World Cup, which is an important time for Spain.”
Rob is ESPN FC’s Manchester United correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @RobDawsonESPN.
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