32-year-old Madrid-born football player David de Gea has left Manchester United after more than a decade of services at the 20-time English league champion. After months of speculations, the news was finally confirmed by both the English Premier League giant and the former Atlético Madrid goalie himself, following the expiration of the latter’s contract. The goalkeeper is now a free agent in the transfer market after he left Manchester United, and the Red Devils will be desperately shopping for a new no. 1 to guard their goal for next season’s league and cup competitions, having already been in engaging talks with multiple clubs for a new goalkeeper.
Joined in 2011, Left Manchester United in 2023
Following David de Gea’s two heroic seasons with Spanish La Liga side Atlético Madrid and former starting goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s retirement in the 2010/2011 Season, the then-Manchester United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson decided to sign de Gea for a then-British record fee for a goalkeeper of approximately £18.9 million. During the start of his Manchester United career, the player from Spain was struggling to meet the physical demand of the English Premier League and had momentarily lost out his starting position to ex-Danish goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard.
Nevertheless, de Gea slowly turned his early upsets into consistent performances in the following seasons, and his agile goalkeeping ability and incredible reflexes soon caught the eye of Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, prompting the Spaniard almost left Manchester United for Los Blancos in exchange for Costa Rican Keylor Navas back in the summer of 2015. The move was ultimately collapsed during the final hours of the deadline day of the transfer window, and de Gea could have left Manchester United after just three seasons.
De Gea won a total of eight titles during his 12-year spell with the club before he left Manchester United this summer, which includes one Premier League title, one FA Cup, two EFL Cups, one UEFA Europa League trophy and three FA Community Shields, while bagging outstanding individual accolades such as two Premier League Golden Gloves, four Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year awards, five PFA Team of the Year selections, etc.
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An Extension Was Signed But Retracted by the Club
Reports have indicated that de Gea had already signed a contract extension with Manchester United, via a deal that will see a huge dip in salaries for the goalkeeper. On the other hand, the current manager of the Red Devils Erik ten Hag thought that de Gea’s playing style does not conform to the needs of a modern-day goalie and had decided that the 13-time Premier Leaguer winner should shop for other goalkeeping options instead. If anything, this goes on to show how ruthless the 53-year-old Dutchman can be when it comes to revamping the structure of the club, which can be seen in the Cristiano Ronaldo situation.
It is worth mentioning that before de Gea left Manchester United, he was the last remaining member in the current Manchester United squad to have won the precious league title, having done so in the 2012/2013 Season, which was Sir Alex Ferguson’s last year in-charge of the Red Devils.
It’s André Onana week for Manchester United. Negotiations will continue with final round in order to submit official bid and get deal done. 🚨🔴🇨🇲 #MUFC
Sources expect agreement to be done by Wednesday/Thursday.
No issues on personal terms as already agreed since last week. pic.twitter.com/lZqpzDK9tZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 9, 2023
What’s Next After de Gea Left Manchester United?
Manchester United has been in active talks with Italian Serie A’s Inter Milan for Cameroonian national team no. 1 André Onana after de Gea left Manchester United. According to reliable sources like famous Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, both the Red Devils and the 27-year-old goalkeeper have reached an agreement on personal terms, and the deal will likely be completed around Wednesday or Thursday this week, should the final bid and proposal be accepted by the 19-time Italian league champion.
Onana, who joined Inter Milan on a five-year deal via a free transfer from Ajax just a year ago, is happy in Italy but would open for a move to the Premier League and play for a European giant like Manchester United.
Apart from engaging in a transfer for the Nkol Ngok-born goalkeeper, Manchester United is also looking to bring in 20-year-old goalie Zion Suzuki from Japanese club Urawa Reds as a potential replacement for outgoing back-up Manchester United shot stopper Dean Henderson. The 26-year-old, who recently left Manchester United and joined Nottingham Forest on loan, wants a permanent move to the West Bridgford club, as he targets more playing time next season and secure a place in the England national team for upcoming major tournaments after he left Manchester United.
What do you think about the club’s chances of winning the league and cup competitions next season after David de Gea left Manchester United? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
