David de Gea caused a stir on social media on Tuesday by revealing he’s back in Manchester.
The legendary Manchester United goalkeeper was released during the summer upon the expiration of his contract after 12 years at Old Trafford. The club held the option to trigger a further year in De Gea’s deal but opted not to earlier in 2023 as they instead looked to renegotiate an extended contract on lower wages.
De Gea maintained he wanted to stay at United but several high-profile and costly mistakes in crucial matches led to a rethink from Erik ten Hag who decided to recruit a new shot-stopper. The Spaniard was eventually released with Andre Onana coming in to take his place.
It’s been a terrible start to life at United for Onana, who himself has made a lot of embarrassing mistakes, both in allowing shots he should save go into the net and with wayward distribution, the very reason he was brought in to upgrade on De Gea.
De Gea has been out of work for three months now but has still been unable to find a new club. As a result, he remains a free agent and is available to sign for nothing, leading to some wild speculation.
The 32-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday afternoon to reveal he was back in Manchester, posting a photo of him at a padel court. This led to a flurry of supporters on social media revealing their wish for United to re-sign De Gea on a short-term deal until the end of the season amid Onana’s early struggles in the side. There have even been some unfounded suggestions that that is why he is in Manchester.
The Daily Mail reports that De Gea has actually returned to the city after spending the summer in Madrid on Monday to spend a ‘few days sorting out the house in Hale’ where he spent the past 12 years before leaving the club. But that hasn’t stopped fans debating about the club bringing De Gea back, with fans sitting on both sides of the argument.
And De Gea has also used his time back in the area to show his support for United’s Women – he posted another Instagram update from the stands at Leigh Sports Village where the Reds were opening their Women’s Champions League campaign against Paris Saint-Germain tonight.
