Manchester United’s current wounds are so deep that not much is needed to worsen them but salt has been poured on them by watching David de Gea.
David de Gea, who joined Fiorentina this summer after going a full season without a club, has returned to the levels that won him four Player of the Season awards at Man Utd.
The Spaniard has instantly become Fiorentina’s undisputed No 1, playing all the important league fixtures, with his performances fully meriting that status.
Having left United on a free transfer looking like a shell of his former self, it is a remarkable comeback at this stage of his career.
After his heroics in Fiorentina’s latest game, against Serie A heavyweight Juventus, Man Utd fans have reacted with a single claim that sums up the club’s struggles.
Man Utd fans on David de Gea’s incredible run of form
Fiorentina finished eighth in the league last season, conceding 46 goals in 38 games and after 17 games this season, sit fifth, having conceded just 15 so far.
According to the quality of shots they’ve faced, they should have conceded anything between 20-21 goals and this overperformance by nearly five is the second-biggest in the division.
A large part of that is down to De Gea, who had the highest save percentage in Europe as of the game against Juventus.
Against the Serie A titans, Fiorentina managed to eke out a 2-2 draw and had a few De Gea wondersaves to thank for the result.
United fans couldn’t help themselves but react to another De Gea masterclass while their own games are marked by a goalkeeping howler pretty much every game in recent weeks.
“Everyone finds form after leaving Manchester United,” said one as another joked, “This man could probably save Titanic.”
A third put De Gea’s exploits into perspective: “Bro is quietly having one of the best seasons in Europe after not playing for a year.”
“Man United ruins players as simple as that. That club is cursed….graveyard for your career,” said a fourth, echoing the “everyone is better after leaving United claim.
Another provided a counterbalance to that narrative, “One of the best shot-stoppers of all time, just weak in other areas,” while a sixth still couldn’t get over his regret over De Gea’s departure.
They said: “His daily routine at Man United, a little regretful about his departure.”
That is also a common sentiment among fans whenever a player who left the club performs well but De Gea’s form over a longer sample size combined with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir’s struggles have ratcheted up the noise.
Were Man Utd wrong to let De Gea leave?
Manchester United have made a lot of mistakes since Sir Alex Ferguson retired but De Gea’s form in those dark years was the one big positive for the club.
De Gea left the club as the Golden Glove winner but the statistics stood in stark contrast to what was actually happening on the pitch.
Errors had crept up in his game, often straightforward and unforced ones, and his style of play just didn’t suit to what the manager wanted to do with his team.
Granted, that manager has left the club but seeing how proactively Ruben Amorim uses Onana in possession, it’s hard to see how De Gea would be an upgrade, even the current version.
Onana is going through a tough phase right now but it has coincided with the whole team collapsing, with the Cameroonian one of the bright spots early this season.
Most importantly, De Gea’s wages were an albatross around the neck which needed to be shifted at the time because his performances didn’t merit that package.
It was proven later as he sat out of the game for a whole year and even then, joined a team just a tier below the European elites.
It is easy to say now that United made a mistake but if that was such an easy conclusion to reach, he would have found himself at a huge club right away after leaving United.
The reality doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. It’s true that De Gea is having an incredible comeback but at the same time, United were right to let him go at the time.
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