For years, it was widely accepted that playing for Manchester United is the peak of many players’ careers, especially non-South Americans.
Since then, a lot has changed as the club continues to struggle and if anything, many players have proven that Manchester United is where their career hits a halt.
Being successful after leaving Old Trafford has become a norm in a damning indictment of the environment and culture surrounding the club.
Of course, that’s not the case for every player as the likes of Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, and Raphael Varane have shown.
However, there is one success story amongst them that nobody expected and he’s been on fire for his new team marked recently with a stunning display.
David de Gea- penalty specialist
Not many United fans would have ever thought “penalty specialist” would be words written alongside David de Gea.
After all, he is infamous because of that fated Europa League final in 2021 when he managed to fail in saving every penalty in the shootout.
To make matters worse, he missed his own and ensured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would remain trophyless.
Fans didn’t expect much from him when the attacker stood at the penalty spot, accepting that a goal had been scored before the penalty was taken.
Not at Fiorentina. Far from it. De Gea saved a penalty for Fiorentina soon after his career started there and in the recent fixture against AC Milan, he fortified his reputation.
The Spaniard saved two penalties en route to Fiorentina’s 2-1 win over Milan in a stunning display of athleticism and reflexes.
Man Utd fans watched stunned in disbelief as De Gea’s career was widely expected to end in a whimper as he was out of the game for a whole year.
They are convinced the club is ‘cursed’.
Man Utd fans on De Gea heroics
For starters, it is worth noting that Andre Onana, De Gea’s replacement at Old Trafford, has been one of United’s best players after a tough opening season.
However, that doesn’t cancel the fact that United have struggled to do exactly what De Gea was sold for- playing out from the back.
Man Utd fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, feeling convinced that the whole club is cursed, as it happened the same day as Erik ten Hag heaped more pressure on himself after a dour goalless draw at Aston Villa.
“Why do those who leave Manchester United end up performing well? Something is wrong with that club. It’s a curse,”, one said.
Another agreed: “Why do those who leave Manchester United end up performing well? Something is wrong with that club.”
A third posted that this doesn’t reflect well on the beleaguered United manager: “Ten Hag ousted this guy and others and tagged them the problem of Manchester United, now we see the real problem of United.”
“De Gea turning into a brick wall! Two penalty saves in one game? Absolute legend,” said another, waxing lyrical about the player.
A fifth said: “What a performance tonight. Manchester United fans are full of regrets now. To think Man Utd almost forced him into retirement because of Onana!”
A sixth gave some perspective: “That’s more than he ever saved at United. He was always terrible at penalties!”
Ultimately, it is hard to argue against stats and this could just be a matter of him guessing correctly at Fiorentina since penalties are as much a guessing game for a goalkeeper as it is about skill.
Still, add another chapter to the list of unfortunate things that keep happening to United post-Sir Alex Ferguson.
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