De Gea's distribution was one of his biggest strengths in Atletico to be fair. As a general rule, almost all Spanish goalkeepers are groomed in a way where they are very composed in possession and comfortable with the ball at their feet (oftentimes to avert danger), so much so that they can be the 11th outfield player of sorts (like Valdes in his prime for Barcelona). Feel like the last 4 seasons have been part of a gradual stripping down and reconfiguration process for David. Maybe this is the next big step in his evolution ?
Under Steele and Woods, he worked on the details of his fundamentals and physique, became exponentially sturdier and resilient to aerial balls and shots from distance to fend off the bombardment he has had to face, things of that nature. But his ball skills and distribution visibly regressed as he was asked to punt the ball out than taking a more calculated and methodical approach.
Now under the guidance of Hoek and Van Gaal (who coached up VDS) and in a possession heavy system as opposed to a more counterattacking setup, he is kind of revisiting his roots and polishing the remaining weaknesses in his game. A lot of people (perhaps even justifiably so) were concerned with the constant change at the goalkeeping coach position but apparently, De Gea seems is picking up the positives from each of them. Training with Valdes is an invaluable add-on too IMO. Squad additions often go unnoticed, but having someone with his winning pedigree, ability on the ball, leadership and command of the box will only help De Gea take him game further. Would be the perfect amalgamation of two different approaches to goalkeeping.
