Former Manchester United star had a controversial exit after his 12 years stint at Old Trafford.
Former Manchester United stalwart opens up on controversial exit originally appeared on The Sporting News
Manchester United's mainstay in goal for more than the last decade was David de Gea. The Spaniard grew in stature at Old Trafford since his move from Atletico Madrid in 2011.
After 12 years at the club, De Gea didn't get the respect that he deserved as he was close to signing a new contract in 2023, but he eventually left United on a free transfer and joined Fiorentina.
De Gea's Manchester United tenure ended on a sour note and therefore the club decided to felicitate their former stalwart ahead of United's preseason game against Fiorentina.
The scores were level at 1-1 in regulation time but eventually United defeated Fiorentina by 5-4 in penalty shootout.
Despite a controversial exit from Manchester, the 34-year-old insisted that he holds no bitterness or hard feelings for the Red Devils over his departure saga.
"Sometimes football is like it is, you can't control everything," De Gea said when asked about his exit from United.
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"I've been here [Man United] 12 years, very, very nice, it's one of the best periods of my life.
"Playing for this club is just unbelievable, especially when you leave the club, you realise how big is the club, how difficult it was to be 12 years in a club like United. I'm always grateful for this club, for everyone, it's been an amazing journey.
"It's been a long time since I've been back here so it's been a special day, of course."
In 12 years with Manchester United, De Gea was named Player of the Year four times due to his heroic performances throughout his tenure.
David de Gea admits that he contemplated retirement after United exit
The Spanish goalkeeper was forced to train alone and later left the club as a free agent as former United coach Erik ten Hag preferred Andre Onana over the 34-year-old.
De Gea had to spend a year without club before he signed a new deal with Fiorentina in 2024. In hindsight, it proved to be a great deal for the Serie A outfit as he delivered some exceptional performances last season.
However, he admitted of contemplating about retirement in the aftermath of the United exit. "There's always these things coming to your mind, but I was feeling good, I trained again, I was feeling ready to go again.
"Fiorentina gave me the opportunity to play. I'm feeling very, very good there.
"It's like a family, I'm feeling great, the city is amazing, the club is great. You see today we can play against top teams like United, so hopefully this year we can make something special as well."
The Spaniard featured in 40 matches for Fiorentina last season across all competitions and he kept 12 clean sheets in total while maintaining 72.6% save accuracy.
He has also signed a three-year contract with the Serie A outfit last May and is finally happy again in Italy.
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