After a year out of the game, it was always going to take some time for Manchester United great David de Gea to rediscover his very best form.
At least, that was the expectation. The worst-case scenario, however, would be the modern game had simply moved beyond the former Spain international. Would he ever return to his world-leading best?
Or had Fiorentina just taken a punt on a player who, in David de Gea, had spent the last 12 months training on his own for a reason?
A couple of oh-so familiar failings last weekend raised plenty of doubts.
De Gea struggled as Fiorentina lost 3-2 to Atalanta in Serie A. Rooted to the spot as Charles de Ketelaere planted a header home and powerless again as the Belgian repeated the trick later on.
The Manchester United faithful know only too well about those very well-documented weaknesses De Gea.
For all of his critics – still yet to convince many despite those heroics on Saturday night as an ‘unbelievable’ Andre Onana saved Man United at Crystal Palace – De Gea’s replacement offers the distribution, the penalty-saving nous, and an ability to command his penalty area.
Three areas of De Gea’s game which have always felt, at best, fragile.
Manchester United great David de Gea finding some form at Fiorentina
But as Fiorentina got back to winning ways against Lazio on Sunday thanks to a pair of Albert Gudmundsson penalties, De Gea proved that – while that old Achilles heel remains as vulnerable as ever – the veteran goalkeeper is still one of the best around when it comes to close-range shot-stopping.
He denied Mattia Zaccagni with a fine parry through a crowd of bodies early on. That was one of five saves he made against a Lazio side who racked up 20 attempts on goal.
And former Serie A glovesman Rubinho argues that De Gea – who began to feel like a tape deck in a Tesla, out of touch with the whims of the modern game – still possesses the cat-like reflexes capable of matching any of the finest goalkeepers in Fiorentina’s history.
“De Gea is still suffering from having been out for more than a year. But he has already helped Fiorentina a lot in these first games,” Rubinho tells Radio Firenze Viola. “I think he can only grow further and show everyone the qualities he has.
“He is a top goalkeeper and seeing him defend Fiorentina’s goal reminds me of when there were the likes of [Francesco] Toldo and [Sebastien] Frey.”
De Gea is justifying the faith of his Serie A manager
Toldo, one of the finest net-guarders of the last 30 years in Italian football, was a major presence in the Fiorentina side who last lifted a trophy; the 2001 Coppa Italia.
Frey, meanwhile, was a Viola stalwart between 2005 and 2011.
And while Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino has been criticised for picking De Gea over Pietro Terraciano, Rubinho feels that such a decision can be justified simply by the fact that, well, David de Gea is David de Gea.
“Goalkeepers need to feel confident on and off the pitch. Terracciano was a goalkeeper who, even in a match in which he played well but at the end made a mistake, the fans criticised him,” adds ex-Juventus stopper Rubinho, feeling that De Gea will always have the benefit of the doubt, and therefore the support, of the Fiorentina crowd.
“De Gea, on the other hand, even if he doesn’t have a top game, is still De Gea.
“The Spaniard has the trust of the environment because he gives a lot of security. Terracciano didn’t [instill] that much confidence.”
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