As David de Gea saved not one but two penalties during Fiorentina’s victory over AC Milan, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag must have wondered what he had done to offend the footballing gods.
It feels almost like every decision the embattled Dutchman makes these days becomes the subject of mockery and almost cosmic levels of misfortune.
David de Gea famously failed to save a single one of Villarreal’s 11 spot-kicks during that Europa League final defeat back in 2020. In fact, throughout his long Manchester United career, De Gea kept out only seven of the 50 spot-kicks he faced outside of penalty shoot-outs.
A measly 14 per cent success rate. That was one of a number of reasons why Man United opted to release De Gea when his contract expired during the summer of 2022.
And while it would be plain wrong to suggest that his replacement is proving not to be an upgrade in this department – Andre Onana’s denial of Cameron Archer against Southampton enhanced the Cameroonian’s ‘penalty killer’ reputation – De Gea’s unexpected emergence as a spot-kick specialist himself does little to dispel the notion that leaving Old Trafford is to free yourself of some sort of voodoo curse.
David de Gea ‘world-class’ as former Manchester United ace shines at Fiorentina
De Gea guessed right twice to keep out both Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham as Fiorentina lit a fire under the Raffaele Palladini era on Sunday.
And, make no mistake, neither was an easy save. Both shots were low, hard and close to the corner.
De Gea – who arguably made an even better stop as he tipped wide a Samu Chukwueze effort skipping through bodies late on – is repaying the faith of a Fiorentina side who offered him a route back into the game after over 12 months training alone.
“Italian football perhaps hasn’t understood the importance of his arrival,” reporter Luca Calamai tells Tuttomercatoweb, lauding Daniele Prade for his ambition and his belief in the experienced Spaniard.
“The first to not understand it were the Florentines. He arrived in silence, with the label of a pensioner. -[De Gea] is a world-class player.
“Prade deserves a lot of compliments. He brought in a real number one
“The goalkeeping component was extraordinary,” adds Dino Zoff, arguably the greatest Italian glovesman of all time. “Of course, it is also the forwards who miss penalties but De Gea was good. The two shots were difficult to save and he got to both. Really good.
“Fiorentina were very good, and this match can be a turning point for the season.”
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Fiorentina lauded for a leap of faith with David de Gea
Former Man United team-mate Juan Mata lauded De Gea after his heroics, mocking those who claimed the former Spain international was ‘finished’ at the top level.
That has been the story of De Gea’s spell in Florence thus far. A man proving that rumours of his demise had been greatly exaggerated, even if both De Gea and Fiorentina still have a long way to go before they can silence the critics for good.
“It’s still too early to make definitive judgments. The match against Milan showed that Fiorentina has grit, heart and the ability to suffer. And then they had a goalkeeper in a state of grace,” Carlos Freitas, one of Prade’s La Viola predecessors, tells Radio Firenze Viola.
“Saving two penalties is not easy, even for De Gea. We start again from this, from the undisputed quality of the goalkeeper and from the team’s ability to suffer in the final minutes of the match.
“You have to be brave to make a choice like [signing De Gea]. The player’s career speaks for itself; from the Spanish national team to Atletico Madrid, and especially Manchester United.
“However, it is not easy to take a sign who hasn’t played for a year. It takes courage. It wasn’t an obvious choice. Knowing that the fans were demanding and wanted answers right away, it was a gamble.
“So, congratulations.”
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