Manchester United disrespects De Gea, this is a fact! But it is correct for the Red Devils to let him go, this is a fact

In October 2024, when Manchester United fired Eric Tenhager, the players spoke out for tribute. Bruno Fernandez wrote: "Thank you for everything Boss did! Thank you for your trust and the time we spent together. I wish you a smooth future. Although everyone was not satisfied during the last period, I hope the fans can remember the positive changes you brought to the club."

Alejandro Garnacho also said: "I will always thank you for giving me the opportunity and confidence to play for this club. Although things did not work as expected, I will remember those wonderful times and wish you a bright future."

Luke Shaw said, "thanks to our joint achievements"; Kobe Maynu thanked Tenhager for "giving me the opportunity to play for the team I supported in my childhood"; Lisandro Martinez admitted that "we are all sad."

However, a former Manchester United player's reaction was very different. About three hours after Manchester United announced the firing of Tenhag, David De Gea posted on social media, without a single word, but with a chin-holding expression - a gesture often used in Italy to express surprise or dissatisfaction. Although it is impossible to determine De Gea's specific idea, or even whether it is targeted by Tenhag, it seems that he is "happy" for the Dutch coach's dismissal. Considering Tenghag's attitude towards De Gea, this is not difficult to understand.

This week's friendly match between Manchester United and Fiorentina will be the first time that De Gea has returned to Old Trafford since the 2023 summer was over. His way of leaving the team made him unable to say goodbye to the fans, and this time he finally had the opportunity to say goodbye officially.

In addition to feeling sorry for the club's treatment of the legend in the team history, there will inevitably be voices among fans that "if he had stayed behind, instead of rashly replacing Andre Onana." But Manchester United fans need to be clear: it is right for the club to give up De Gea, and the problem is that they choose the wrong successor.

There is no doubt that Manchester United handled the decision to abandon De Gea. When the Spanish goalkeeper bid farewell to his teammates after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup final, he was looking forward to signing a long-term salary reduction contract to continue his 12-year career with the Red Devils. But a few weeks later, he was told that the original contract proposal had been voided, replaced by far lower salary, and that the club was already looking for a new goalkeeper.

Manchester United had plenty of time to make a decision: they knew that De Gea's contract expired in June 2023 and could easily renew it for one year on the same terms. Therefore, then-sports director John Murtov should have focused on finding a new goalkeeper, and Tenhager should have made it clear to De Gea. After all, it is already an open secret that the Dutch wants a goalkeeper who is good at shooting under his feet, and De Gea's lack of ability in this regard.

In fact, Tenhager initially asked the former Atletico goalkeeper to practice more footwork, but gave up the idea after his second game of coaching, Manchester United defeated Brentford 0-4.

Sadly, Manchester United does not want to invest money to introduce new goalkeepers in the same summer window as a new striker. They used the renewal of De Gea as a stopgap measure to save money. But after the FA Cup final, they suddenly changed their minds - this indecision and backfire are great disrespect for the goalkeepers who have played for the longest time in the team history. De Gea made 545 appearances for Manchester United and completed 190 clean sheets, and all of this was done in one of the club's worst periods in nearly three decades.

At that time, De Gea had just helped the Red Devils win the third place in the Premier League and returned to the Champions League, and even won the Golden Gloves with the most zero-shots. He had every reason to feel humiliated. This way of leaving the team kept him away from the field for a year - in his own words, "After staying in a top club for 12 years, it is difficult to find motivation for a new chapter."

Behind this unhappy episode, there are two unavoidable facts: one is that De Gea failed to adapt to modern football and his skills were not improving; the other is that his save ability is also declining. Tenhager could have seen the clues in the away game against Brentford in August 2022 - Manchester United conceded 4 goals in the first half. In the third round of the FA Cup, he was unable to stop a dull shot from passing through his legs and passed the ball directly to Connor Cody, allowing the opponent to score. In the 0-3 defeat in Sevilla in April, his pass to Harry Maguire was "death", which led to Yusuf N-Necili scoring. In the second half, he rashly rushed out of the penalty area to clear the ball, but kicked the ball directly to N-Necili, which was shot by the opponent, and the score was set to 3-0. When he lost to West Ham United away in May, he let Said Benrahma slip away from his hand. The shock on his face was enough to show that he knew how much mistake he had made.

In the FA Cup final, De Gea moved too slowly and failed to stop Ilkai Gundogan from bounced and volleying - although Rafael Varane and Casemiro were not blocked by the ball, they were also responsible. In addition, he also watched Gundogan score a long shot, achieving the fastest goal in the history of the FA Cup final.

But what is even more worrying is that his kick-off was either out of bounds or directly passed to the Blue Moon player when Manchester United tried to tie the score.

This game is considered the last straw for Tenhager to make up his mind, and most fans agree with it. But he had many opportunities to realize that De Gea's condition was declining. If he could make it clear that he would change the goalkeeper earlier, he would avoid the subsequent embarrassing situation and also allow the goalkeeper to get the emotional farewell he deserves.

Manchester United fans who were gradually dissatisfied with De Gea in the 2022-23 season are now starting to miss him because they are even more angry with their successor Onana. The Cameroonian goalkeeper was touted as the world's top goalkeeper at the time and was even recognized by Pep Guardiola before Inter Milan's Champions League final against Manchester City. However, after Manchester United signed him for £47 million two years ago, not only did they not benefit from his shot, but instead suffered many hard-earned by his poor saves..

Onana made multiple mistakes in the Champions League in her first season, which largely led to Manchester United's bottom in the group; he continued to make mistakes in the second season, and former Manchester United midfielder Mania Matic called him "one of the worst-case goalkeepers in modern history in Manchester United before playing against Lyon in the UEFA Cup.

Onana's performance in that game confirmed the Serbian's statement, and what embarrassed the former Ajax goalkeeper was that Matic also mentioned De Gea, comparing him with legendary Manchester United goalkeepers such as Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van dersar.

's continued doubts about Onana make this summer seem to be back in 2023 - at that time, Manchester United prioritized finding new strikers, but at the same time changed goalkeepers. Two years later, the club is about to replace Rasmus Hoylund, who should have been the long-term answer with another high-priced but unproven young striker Benjamin Sesco. Ideally, they should also change the doorkeeper before the window is closed, but obviously back to the starting point.

Considering Onana's high salary and low reputation, it is not easy to find a new home for him, and it is even more difficult after being injured in the preseason. So, while Ruben Amorin wants a more reliable goalkeeper, Manchester United is also paying attention to Emiliano Martinez and Gianluigi Donaluma, it may have to wait at least a year before signing the new goalkeeper. Hopefully they won't make the mistake of renewing Onana's contract first and withdrawing it...

De Gea has been away from Manchester United for two years. To be fair, Old Trafford's goalkeeper position is more turbulent than most of his 12-year guard. He will eventually get the courtesy he deserves for his long and often brilliant career - he is undeniable, and his salary is also extremely high, with a weekly salary of up to £375,000 between 2019 and 2023.

Although the way of leaving the team is disgusting, De Gea really should have left at that time. The problem is that Onana is not a suitable replacement.