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David de Gea has been in a Spanish media whirlwind since the start of the World Cup.

It may have been expected the country’s national team had gone through enough drama with the Julen Lopetegui issue before the tournament, but Marca and co have been placing serious doubt on the Manchester United goalkeeper.

De Gea had a poor performance in Spain’s first World Cup match, against Portugal, and since then the country’s media have gone way over the top.

There’s been countless articles about why the United stopper should be replaced by Athletic Club Bilbao’s Kepa, but now the shift in the reporting has turned to how De Gea can get his mental focus right.

Everyone speaking to Marca at the moment is asked about the Manchester United player, and that includes Diego Maradona.

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Asked if he likes De Gea, the Argentina legend said: “Yes, I like him a lot, although he’s let in a couple of goals. We all saw that, I’m not discovering it. But since I’ve seen him at United, he has had a very good career without ups and downs.

“He stepped into the World Cup on a bad foot, but I hope that he finishes it better, because he deserves it. He’s a guy I met with Kun when Aguero wat at Atletico. You have to give him time in this World Cup.”

Argentina face France in the World Cup round of sixteen today, with Maradona expected to be in attendance, with Spain, and David de Gea, facing Russia on Sunday.