David De Gea has announced his departure from Manchester United due to the expiration of his contract with the club. The Spanish goalkeeper sent a goodbye message to the supporters of the Premier League club on Saturday, after spending the previous 12 seasons playing for the Old Trafford side.
Despite the fact that De Gea’s contract had ended as of the 30th of June, the club had said that they were still in negotiations with the 32-year-old goalkeeper over an extension.
The Spaniard, who became a member of United in 2011 under Alex Ferguson’s management and has made approximately 550 appearances for the club, was the current squad’s longest-serving player prior to his departure.
On Instagram, De Gea sent a statement that said, “I just wanted to send this farewell message to all Manchester United supporters.”
“I would want to convey my unending thanks and appreciation for the love that has been shown to me over the course of the past 12 years. Since my close friend Sir Alex Ferguson introduced me to this club, we have made significant progress.
In his second season at the club — which also happened to be Ferguson’s final as manager — De Gea won the Premier League, the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Europa League. He also won all three of those cups.
Additionally, he was awarded the Golden Glove award for the most clean sheets in a season on two separate occasions, the second of which came in the 2022–2023 season when United finished in third place and qualified for the Champions League.
The four-time club player of the year, though, has recently come under scrutiny for a variety of faults and blunders that he had committed.
According to British media, the former goalkeeper for Atletico Madrid was one of the highest-paid players at United, although he has not participated in a match for Spain since the year 2020.
Andre Onana, the goalkeeper at Inter Milan, has been connected to a possible transfer to United.
“Since I arrived here, I’ve been a part of an era that has been both memorable and fruitful. When I left Madrid as a young lad, I never imagined that we would go on to accomplish as much as we have together,” De Gea remarked.
“Now is the right time to take on a new challenge, to push myself again in new surroundings,” I said to myself. “It’s about time.”