London — Even Manchester United’s reliable last line of defence David de Gea has struggled for form this season, but the Spanish keeper will need to be at his best in Sunday’s clash with bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield. Last season’s Premier League Golden Glove winner has not looked himself since some uncharacteristic mistakes undermined Spain’s World Cup campaign and they went out in the last 16. De Gea’s struggles have continued into this season as United sit sixth in the Premier League, 16 points behind the leaders. He had conceded 26 goals in 16 games whereas last season he let in only 28 in 37 appearances. The 28-year-old may not, therefore, be relishing Sunday’s showdown with Liverpool’s back-in-form forward Mohamed Salah, who scored a hat-trick last week in a 4-0 win at Bournemouth that sent Juergen Klopp’s side to the top of the table and struck the vital winner against Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday.

He has not been helped by manager Jose Mourinho choppi...

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