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David De Gea Proving There is Life After Manchester United

The Spaniard leads Serie A in save percentage and has the second most saves per 90 riding a six game unbeaten streak.

Max Mallow

David De Gea is back to his best with Fiorentina.
David De Gea is back to his best with Fiorentina. / IMAGO/LaPresse

David De Gea, the 33-year-old ex-Manchester United goalkeeper, has shown to start the season with Fiorentina that he still has plenty left in the tank. He can still make those saves that used to leave rival fans befuddled. Just look at the one he made on Thursday against Genoa to preserve his third clean sheet of the season and three points.

He also saved two penalties earlier this season against AC Milan: one by Theo Hernandez and the other by Tammy Abraham.

After spending last season as a free agent, De Gea signed with Fiorentina following 12 seasons in Manchester, England. The Serie A side is currently fourth in the league on 19 points with De Gea playing a big part in the team's early success. He's first in save percentage, second in saves per 90 minutes and the team is unbeaten in six straight games with the Spaniard in goal.

For those who don't know or only recently started following the sport, De Gea is one of the best Premier League goalkeepers of the 2010s.

He won the league in 2012–13, two Golden Gloves, numerous club honors and made five PFA Team of the Year squads. He's the all-time Manchester United clean sheets leader breaking Peter Schmeichel's record in celebratory fashion in the 2023 EFL Cup final. His name will be etched in the club's history books forever.

With 415 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils, he was the last player of the Sir Alex Ferguson era to leave at the time of his departure in 2023. His final game with the club certainly left a sour taste in fans' mouths after losing to Manchester City in the 2022–23 FA Cup final as the team's rival cemented a historic treble.

His performance in the 2021 UEFA Europa League final penalty shootout also comes to mind.

His wages, inconsistent form, Ten Hag's technical philosophy and the overarching move across the league to ball-playing goalkeepers and building from the back were all points of contention for De Gea's standing with his then-manager. He wasn't the only United player under scrutiny at the time, and certain players still are today.

"Is it the players, or is it the manager?" A question United fans go back and forth on constantly given players from the Mourinho/Solskjær/Rangnick era are still at the club. It was a huge debate during Ten Hag's tenure and it's been reignited given his recent firing.

Club legend and pundit Gary Neville has said, in his opinion, "Manchester United goalkeeper is the hardest position in football." De Gea was, rightly or not, the subject of constant criticism in his latter years at the club.

Ten Hag made the decision to bring in his former Ajax goalkeeper, André Onana, as he tried to implement his tactics.

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It's still early in his United career, but Onana has struggled to find consistent form. The 3–3 draw against Galatasaray in the Champions League stands out as one of his worst performances. He won the FA Cup last season but only kept nine clean sheets in his first league campaign. Defensive uncertainties and injuries haven't helped Onana either.

Clean sheets aren't just earned by goalkeepers—the whole team plays a key part in today's game—but last season was a major disappointment finishing eighth on just 60 points. If not for the FA Cup, United wouldn't be playing European games this season. Not to mention, United has just 11 points from a possible 27 and is currently sat 14th in the Premier League. The Red Devils also drew their first three Europa League matches.

It's not all on Onana and he'll likely be a key part of the next manager's squad, but there are no certainties when a new boss comes in.

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De Gea's not the only ex-United player off to a strong start in Serie A this season either. Scott McTominay has made eight appearances for league-leading Napoli under Antonio Conte. He's completed the full 90 in six straight games registering three goal involvements playing alongside Billy Gilmour and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Whether he stays at Fiorentina for the next 10 years or moves to another club, De Gea has plenty left to offer in his career.

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Max Mallow
MAX MALLOW

Max Mallow is an editor for Sports Illustrated Soccer. Somehow, he has just enough time every matchday to tweet when an Arsenal player scores a goal.

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