Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced he has made exactly the right move by spending £18million on 20-year-old goalkeeper David De Gea.

The summer signing from Atletico Madrid came through his first significant test in Manchester United's 2-1 win over Barcelona in Washington last night without a problem.

Ferguson pushed himself into buying De Gea when he recalled how he backed away from signing Petr Cech on age grounds and was subsequently proved incorrect when the keeper joined Chelsea, where he blossomed into one of the best goalkeepers on the planet.

He is quick and agile, which is something we banked on. When we assessed him I thought he was the right goalkeeper to take.
Sir Alex Ferguson on David De Gea

The United manager had no intention of making the same mistake again and he felt De Gea's performance at FedEx Field justified the call.

"Replacing Edwin van der Sar is very difficult," said Ferguson. "He was a great goalkeeper. But the benefit we have with De Gea is that he is only 20.

"The qualities that stood out for us are his great composure and use of the ball. He is quick and agile, which is something we banked on. When we assessed him I thought he was the right goalkeeper to take."