David de Gea receives perfect eight-word message from former Man Utd teammate after penalty heroics for Fiorentina

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David de Gea was praised by one former Manchester United star after his superb performance for Fiorentina in the 2-1 win over AC Milan on Sunday.

The 33-year-old Manchester United legend spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign on the sidelines after he left Old Trafford in 2023.

David de Gea ended his status as a free agent in the summer after he completed a sensational move to Serie A outfit Fiorentina in August.

The former United No 1 made his long-awaited return to football with his debut in a 3-3 draw against Puskas Akademia in a Conference League play-off match.

De Gea has made six appearances across all competitions for the Italian side, with four of the Fiorentina star’s appearances coming in Serie A.

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Ex-Man Utd star messages De Gea

Manchester United legend David de Gea produced a show-stealing performance for Fiorentina after his heroics at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday.

Yacine Adli fired Fiorentina into a 1-0 lead in the first half before AC Milan received a penalty before half-time, with De Gea stepping up for his side on the occasion.

The former Spain international dived low to his left and denied Theo Hernandez to ensure that Fiorentina went into the break with their 1-0 advantage intact.

Milan earned another penalty in the second half and De Gea prevented Tammy Abraham from converting after diving to his right to save the spot-kick effort.

Christian Pulisic cancelled out Yacine Adli’s opener in the 60th minute before Albert Gudmundsson restored Fiorentina’s advantage in the 73rd minute.

Following De Gea’s impact for Fiorentina, Western Sydney Wanderers’ Juan Mata took to Instagram Stories and paid tribute to his ex-United and Spain teammate.

“But you were “finished”… oh wait,” Mata wrote, adding a laughing emoji.

“Numero 1,” Juan Mata continued, adding a heart emoji to end his post.

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Fiorentina boss reacts to Man Utd legend De Gea

Fiorentina manager Raffaele Palladino waxed lyrical about De Gea’s performance and praised the United legend as a “champion” after the 2-1 win over Milan.

“Trust me, he’s still a monster,” he said, as per Fabrizio Romano on X, formerly Twitter.

“He’s a top, world class player. We can see why he’s a champion, a real one.

“We should thank him every day, he’s a top goalkeeper and a role model.”