David De Gea has finally broken his silence on his infamous Manchester United exit as he prepares to return to action with Fiorentina in Serie A.
The 33-year-old was relieved of his role as Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper by coach Erik ten Hag in June 2023 when his contract with the club expired.
Note that the footballer was offered a new contract when his old deal was about to expire. However, the new offer saw his wages drastically slashed. It was understood the decision to slash his wage in the new offer was due to the sharp u-turn on his fortunes at the club after Erik ten Hag arrived as the new manager.
De Gea’s new contract saga
Erik ten Hag was reportedly not a fan of the Spaniard as he wanted a ball-playing goalkeeper to be able to roll out his new style and tactical plan.
Nevertheless, he was reportedly intent on keeping the player but on new terms. De Gea reportedly signed a first contract offer issued to him. The signed first offer was reportedly withdrawn and then offered again with wage terms slashed again.
De Gea refused to sign the second doctored offer and that was the end of his 12-year spell at the club. De Gea’s Man United exit did not come as a surprise, having fallen out of favor in Erik ten Hag’s scheme of things. However, the manner he left the club was underserving of a legendary goalie at the Stretford End.
David De Gea’s infamous Man United exit
The 2022-23 Premier League Golden Glove winner could not enjoy a proper send-off and did not have a chance to bid farewell to the fans after over a decade as the club’s No.1 goalkeeper.
His exit was learned on social media pages since it occurred at the end of the 2022-23 season. To some analysts, it would have been most appropriate for De Gea to leave either early in the 2023-24 season or towards the end of the campaign.
This would have allowed the player to bid farewell to the fans after a lengthy spell with the club. That would have been possible if he signed the doctored contract offer by Erik ten Hag.
David De Gea’s 12-month deadlock after Man United exit
De Gea’s infamous 2023 Man United exit ushered the footballer into an uncanny career phase. For a goalie of his class, it was right to think he would secure a new offer immediately but that was not the case.
De Gea would waste the 2023-24 season with no football action. It was thought he would call time on his career, but he was hopeful of returning to action and was spotted in individual training sessions trying to keep himself at his pace.
Notably, De Gea’s failure to find a new offer was due to his inability to reach an agreement with clubs who sought his services. Particularly, talks with Serie A giants Inter Milan collapsed as he couldn’t agree terms on his wage.
He also turned down a lucrative proposal from Al-Nassr with close sources claiming he wanted to continue his career in Europe.
David De Gea speaks on Man United exit after Fiorentina move
Away from his 12-month deadlock, De Gea is finally set to return to action. He has agreed to a one-year contract with Fiorentina till 2026 with a 2027 option. Speaking on his unveiling as the new Fiorentina player, the Spanish goalkeeper addressed his infamous Man United exit.
According to him, he did not ever think about calling time on his career but lacked motivation to take up a new challenge after his unexpected departure from Manchester United.
“Man United is a top, top club and my heart will always be there”, he said.
“I never thought about retiring, it was just difficult to find motivations for new chapter after 12 years at a top club like Man United… and I finally felt that at Fiorentina”.
De Gea is expected to return to action on August 17, 2024, when Fiorentina will open their 2024-25 Serie A campaign with an away fixture against Parma. The Man United legend will hope to return to elite-level performance after the 12-month deadlock.
