David de Gea has left Manchester United

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Subjectively, my favourite keeper ever. Guy was a human highlight reel for years on end. As many have said, real shame that his peak was on such shit teams. If he'd played for the club 1996-2008 or whatever we'd probably have won all the same stuff and he'd be reckoned among the best of all time.
 
Thanks for everything Dave, you kept us going when the club failed to do their part to keep us competitive. Should have had a bunch of trophies for your service, but they cocked it up time and time again. You were one of the best we've ever had.
 
V.O. said:
Probably the best reflexes of any goalkeeper I've ever seen.

If he came along a few years earlier, or probably at any other point in football history, he'd likely have been the undisputed best goalkeeper in the world for most of his career.
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If he'd come along much earlier he would've struggled even more with the the physicality that keepers were bombarded with and the increased reliance on crosses. It was only in the mid 00's or so that keepers started to get so protected that a keeper like De Gea could have really stepped above the rest of the pack. Certainly in England at least he probably would have been bullied out of the country; in Spain or Italy it wouldn't have been quite so bad but would still have been a definite issue.
 
Sad to see him go in such a bad atmosphere, he's been one of our best keepers in my lifetime (along with Stepney, Schmeichel and VDS). I hope he does well wherever he goes and we should thank him for the great performances he's put in over the years.
The club is really bad in the way this is handled nowadays, he deserved a proper send off. Same with other players in recent times like Mata and Valencia..
 
Ayoba said:
It's going to be so strange not seeing Dave in between the sticks for a united game!
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Was just thinking, he's been at United for approx. 35% of my life. 'tis a long time.
 
Rio's departure was also the same if I remember correctly, no goodbye or testimonial, contract ran out.
 
Thank you for everything big Dave!

I was there at Wembley when we won 1-0 and he saved everything.

Easily in the conversation for greatest ever United keeper.


Absolutely horrific way of sorting his last few years here. It should have been clear and told to him in May this was it so he could have got a proper send off. I really do hope the team gives him a testimonial even if he signs for another team.


Really enjoyed watching him grow into a world class goalkeeper and recency bias will have all thinking he was bad but he was absolutely world class for a good few years.


I'm sad I don't think he'll ever get the recognition as a top GK due to our lack of challenging for top honors and his poor international career, which he did make a few mistakes in which was unlucky but everyone makes mistakes.


In a way it's a bit of a time capsule and his longevity at the top and the way the game has evolved led to his natural age related decline happening in a period when GKs were asked to play differently so it it was like a double hit for him.

I wonder what he will do next; his international career is done so really just about what he wants. I'm sure someone in Spain will take him but I don't think Barca/Real/Athletico will. Maybe just go to USA or somewhere in Middle East to make even more.
 
Got to admit I’m a little sad to see him go, and will be strange him not being between the sticks, but I think the time is right.

Thanks Dave for your service and good luck in whatever you choose to do going forward.
 
Thanks for everything Dave. Was a phenomenal shot stopper a match winning goalie at his peak. Still can't forget his first season, where he looked so shaky and how he repeatedly came under fire. Kudos to Fergie for believing in him and sticking by him. Was wondering if we were going to embark on another merry go round trying to find a replacement for VDS, just like we did with Schmeichel. We were lucky in that regard.

It's sad seeing some of the replies on this thread, but understandable to an extent. In many ways it is the club's fault for not moving him quickly enough, when it seemed like he wasn't at his best any longer and his lack of ball playing skills were hurting us at the back.

His salary must have been a huge stumbling block and whilst I was glad he stayed, it did seem exorbitant, the amount that we were paying a goalie. Somewhat reminiscent of how Casillas overstayed his welcome at Real, with his underpar performances in the last couple of years at Real, unnecessarily staining his career and reputation.
 
I want to see fans do a nice tifo or something for him next season since we couldn't give him a send off.
 
Really sad to see him leave. He's been an unbelievable servant to the club and I hope he goes on to finish the rest of his career well and I wish him nothing but the best. Seems a really nice guy.
 
sullydnl said:
Was just thinking, he's been at United for approx. 35% of my life. 'tis a long time.
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Interesting way to think about it.

For me, he's been our keeper for 50% of the time I've supported United.
 
It’s a shame he didn’t go out with a win in his last game and it was a disappointing way to lose with him making mistakes.

A great servant who seemed to be genuinely proud of playing for the club.

The save of his that sticks in my mind was away at Real Madrid in the CL in Fergie’s last season. I forget who took the shot (Coentrao maybe) but he reacted like a cat and pushed it onto the post. Remarkable save in such a big game too. Man that CL campaign still hurts. The Nani red card. We should’ve won it that year.

Wish him all the best in his next chapter.
 
Got nothing but love for De Gea and will forever appreciate his contributions. My favourite Dave moment is the Liverpool game where Balotelli had no answer for Dave.
 
Legend. What a keeper he has been for us. Gonna miss him. Hope he gets a proper send off somehow.
 
All the best David. True United legend. It was the time to let him go, but the manner with how it hsppened speaks volumes about what we have become.
 
sullydnl said:
Phil Jones was also offered a testimonial at some point but declined.
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Yup. I don't get these comments saying testimonials are a thing of the past. The only reason it appears that way is because we haven't had many long-serving players in recent years.
 
V.O. said:
Only problem is that a testimonial would likely be against Atletico, and they'd probably shithouse a 1-0 win and celebrate like they'd won the World Cup.
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Valid point if you’re right, just not happy how it’s ended. It’s not the way we treat legends.
 
horsechoker said:
It's like people think in absolutes with zero nuance and never ponder why others may feel a certain way.
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I have no idea if you're taking a shot at me, the other guy or both of us. Fair play.
 
Very likeable guy and a good pro. God knows how much worse it would've been under previous managers if not for him. Good luck in the future Dave.
 
All the best to him. Not a United legend in my eyes but a great servant. Really happy that we’re finally moving on from him though.
 
Really sad for David. He deserved a proper send off. A Manchester United legend. Hope he does well in the rest of his career.
 
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