da esoccer bet： David De Gea has confirmed his time at the club is finally over and there's no doubt the club and the goalkeeper needed a clean break.
da supremo： There are two ways to interpret news that David De Gea is leaving Manchester United after 12 years after his contract expired at the end of June. The club did agree a renewal but then backed out and have now lost the stopper to free agency. At first glance, it looks like the latest demonstration of woeful mismanagement from a club that is being run into the ground by the Glazers amid a seemingly never-ending takeover saga.
What serious, top-level club agrees a new contract with a high-profile player and then refuses to sign it, before offering him a less lucrative deal just days before his current deal is due to expire? The optics are awful and it is no way to treat a loyal servant who has spent 12 years at United and got them out of jail time and time again, keeping a club record 190 clean sheets and playing more matches than any other goalkeeper in their history.
An alternative reading is that United are finally taking a tough but important decision that could lead to them signing a goalkeeper that truly fits with the way the team want and need to play if they are to truly return to the elite of English and European football. And if that means looking heartless, then so be it.
Getty ImagesToo many mistakes
The harsh truth is that De Gea made too many mistakes in key moments last season, costing United dearly and making it increasingly harder to justify his place at the club. Even though the Spaniard won the Golden Glove for the most clean sheets in the Premier League, he made a litany of errors leading to goals.
In the 4-0 defeat by Brentford, he was an utter mess and at fault for three goals. He let a tame shot from Josh Dasilva slip through his hands and into his own net, a strike which the midfielder was too embarrassed to celebrate. Then he gifted the ball to Mathias Jensen from a kick out for the second goal, while he was all over the place at the corner which led to Ben Mee nodding in the third.
In the FA Cup third round tie with Everton, he let a soft cross bounce under his legs to gift a goal to Conor Coady. He looked very shaky in the Europa League last-16 tie against Real Betis and was fortunate his errors did not lead to a goal, though his performance in the quarter-final second leg against Sevilla was arguably his worst ever performance for United.
A miserable season ended with a calamitous mistake against West Ham and then a feeble performance in the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Having watched De Gea crumble under pressure, it's understandable that United had second thoughts about keeping him on.
AdvertisementGettyIll-equipped for the modern game
In addition to making a long list of blunders, De Gea also demonstrated his inability to adapt to the demands of modern football and continued to be shaky when it came to distributing the ball, particularly when he came under pressure.
De Gea's lack of ball-playing ability is hardly a new phenomenon and is one of the main reasons why he has not played for Spain since 2020. But his shortcomings have come under increased scrutiny since Erik ten Hag took charge last summer.
The Spaniard's gaffes against Brentford and Sevilla were the most glaring examples of his poor kicking ability, but throughout the season he struggled whenever he was asked to play out from the back. Newcastle gave him a torrid time in their dominant 2-0 win over United in April, and after a couple of close shaves, De Gea just resorted to booting the ball downfield, gifting possession straight back to the Magpies. The same thing kept on happening against City in the FA Cup final.
De Gea's shortcomings with the ball at his feet led to Ten Hag abandoning his plans to have more possession in United's half and forced him to enact a different style of play to when he was in charge of Ajax and had an outstanding ball-playing goalkeeper in Andre Onana.
Onana delivered an exhibition of audacious dribbles and short-passing manoeuvres in the Champions League final for Inter and helped the Italians give City a run for their money in Istanbul.
GettyA clean break was needed
United are prioritising signing the former Cameroon international and are closing in on landing the goalkeeper after increasing their bid.
And while United are targeting Onana, it made little sense to keep hold of De Gea. Any top 'keeper looking to join United will want assurances that they will be the undisputed No.1, and the lingering presence of De Gea would have made that that more difficult to envisage.
Simply put, the club and player needed a clean break. The Spaniard is a player who thrives on confidence and allowing him to stay while signing someone who will directly compete with him was only likely to make him feel more threatened.
GettyTen Hag's doubts set in
There is a suggestion, as reported by the , that Ten Hag's doubts about the Spaniard's ability are a major reason for his exit. Ten Hag has often supported De Gea in public and backed him after his worst performances, such as the defeat at West Ham and in the FA Cup final. But he has also aired his doubts about him, such as when he declared after the Real Betis match that he could not ignore his goalkeeper's sloppy passing.
And after the cup final defeat against City, after being pressed specifically on De Gea's kicking, the Dutchman admitted: "There areissues in the game we have to improve if we want to make the next step and win trophies."
Ten Hag's ruthless streak should be welcomed. And his former colleague Pep Guardiola can tell him all about the benefits of taking firm action against a cherished goalkeeper.