OFFICIAL: Man Utd confirm De Gea's departure

It looks like time is finally up for David De Gea. After leaving Manchester United as a free agent on June 30th, it was unclear whether he would continue to negotiate a return with the club.

However on Saturday, both De Gea and the Red Devils announced they would be going their seperate ways after 12 seasons together.

The club's statement read: "Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, David made 545 appearances for Manchester United with 190 clean sheets – both club records for a goalkeeper"

"He won the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Europa League and two Carabao Cups. His personal honours include two Premier League Golden Glove awards, a record four Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards (voted by fans), and four Player’s Player of the Year awards".

United manager Erik ten Hag praised his "quality and character" and said he was "personally grateful for the 25 clean sheets he helped provide last season ... all the players and the staff send him our very best wishes for the next phase of his outstanding career.”

 

July 8, 2023

De Gea also left a farewell message to United fans on Twitter saying: "I would like to express my unwavering gratitude and appreciation for the love from the last 12 years. We’ve achieved a lot since my dear Sir Alex Ferguson brought me to this club".

"I took incredible pride everytime I pulled on this shirt, to lead the team, to represent this institution, the biggest club in the world was an honour only bestows upon a few lucky footballers", he continued.

The Spaniard says he is looking forward to "a new challenge" but won't forget his time with the Manchester outfit: "Manchester will always be in my heart, Manchester has shaped me and will never leave me".

 

July 8, 2023