Kenny Cunningham told Monday's OTB AM that he believes Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will keep faith in his goalkeeper, David de Gea.
"I don’t see anything changing. De Gea will be there next season as long as Solskjaer is certain that he is focused and totally committed to the club," the ex-Republic of Ireland captain said.
"There will be a bit of noise around him the next couple of weeks but I don’t envisage it changing in the summer. I think he’ll stick with him and I think it's the right thing to do."
Cunningham acknowledged that de Gea has made too many errors over the past 18 months but he thinks it can be rectified.
"We know how good a goalkeeper he is," he said
"It's just a case of getting him in the right headspace and getting him refocused. Goalkeeping is a unique position.
"I certainly wouldn't write him off. He will bounce back."
Many have asked if Dean Henderson will return from his loan spell at Sheffield United to challenge De Gea for his position.
The young Englishman has kept 13 clean sheets this season and his performances have been widely praised.
However, Cunningham doesn't think recalling Henderson back into the fold would be wise.
"He’s had a great season there but it's a big step up," the former Wimbledon and Birmingham City defender said.
"Bringing him back, Solskjaer is indirectly telling de Gea that I’ve lost a bit of confidence in you."
Cunningham also wondered if Henderson would want to return and risk sitting on the bench.
"I don’t think he'd be happy coming to sit on the bench after getting a taste of Premier League football.
"I don’t think he’ll want to play second fiddle on the off chance that de Gea has a bad run of games."
The battle between de Gea and Henderson could happen next season but in the short-term, Manchester United have two massive games in their fight for Champions League qualification.
They face West Ham United at home and then travel to Leicester city on the final day of the season.
It was put to Cunningham that de Gea should be taken out of the firing line and replaced by Sergio Romero for these crucial games.
"I don’t think with a player of de Gea’s standing, that’s what you want to do," he said.
"You take that course with certain players and you lose them totally. You’ve made it even worse, you’ve thrown them under a bus.
"It also heaps massive pressure on the replacement goalkeeper."
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