Manchester United fans are asking when David de Gea became such a reliable penalty saver after he denied Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham from the spot. He was man-of-the-match in 10-man Fiorentina’s 2-1 win against AC Milan today (October 6). The Spanish goalkeeper is a legend at Old Trafford, having made 545 appearances and keeping 190 clean sheets.
De Gea, 33, was arguably the world’s best shot stopper at his pomp in United colours but penalty saving was never his forte. Fans won’t need reminding of his failure to save a single spot-kick in United’s penalty shootout defeat to Villarreal in the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League final.
However, De Gea must have worked on this part of his game during his lengthy period as a free agent after leaving the club. He made a magnificent save by denying Hernandez at the Stadio Artemio Franchi tonight. He then dove right to keep Abraham’s effort from 12 yards out from finding the back of the net.
Manchester United fans were understandably in disbelief watching De Gea produce two penalty saves against Milan. Many feel his time spent away from the sport has helped him.
One fan alluded to this with a post on X/Twitter:
“Never done that at United !!! Year off football done him wonders “
Another fan suggested De Gea was better than United’s current No.1 Andre Onana:
“David De Gea saved two penalties in less than 60 minutes of play but United fans told us he was trash and Onana is better
“
More fans gave their take on social media:
The United Stand’s Mark Goldbridge wrote:
“Never should have let De Gea go”
Another fan urged Red Devils fans not to take aim at Onana or De Gea if either of them does well:
“You don’t need to bash Onana to praise De Gea by the way, he’s been one of the best goalkeepers in the league this season and it’s a fact.”
De Gea looked likely to extend his stay at United when his contract was expiring in the summer of 2023. He reportedly agreed to take a significant pay cut on the £370,000 per week wages he earned but the Red Devils pulled the plug, per The Athletic.
This meant De Gea never got to say farewell to the Old Trafford faithful because of the timing of the decision. It didn’t sit well with large portion of the fanbase and captain Bruno Fernandes who wrote on an Instagram post that his close friend ‘deserved to say goodbye at the stadium with all the fans cheering’.
De Gea left United as one of the club’s longest serving players and an icon who won eight major trophies including the Premier League title. He’s impressing in Italy after joining Fiorentina as a free agent, making five appearances and keeping one clean sheet.
De Gea will forever be a United hero and it’s great to see him flourishing elsewhere after such a dissapointing end to his Old Trafford career. That said, the Spaniard wasn’t without his faults during his last season at the club, making several mistakes. Onana has been scrutinized since joining Ten Hag’s side because he’s replaced one of the Red Devils’ all-time greats but the Cameroonian’s performances this season are proving he’s a superb acquisition.
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