The Spaniard will get the reception he deserves when he returns to Old Trafford on Saturday, but that doesn't mean he should have been kept in 2023
When Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag in October 2024, there was the usual outpouring of tributes from his players. Bruno Fernandes wrote: "Thank you for everything, boss! I appreciate the trust and the moments we shared. I wish you all the best for the future. Even though this last period hasn’t been great for any of us, I hope the fans can hold on to the good things the manager did for our club."
Alejandro Garnacho chimed in: "I will always be grateful to you for giving me the opportunity and the confidence to play for this club. It hasn't gone as well as we wanted, but I will remember the good times we had together, and I wish you all the best in the future."
Luke Shaw said he was "grateful for what we achieved together"; Kobbie Mainoo thanked Ten Hag "for giving me the opportunity to play for my boyhood club"; Lisandro Martinez said "we're really feeling it".
One former United player, however, had a different reaction to the news. Around three hours after United announced Ten Hag had been fired, David de Gea popped up on X. He had no words, instead posting an emoji of a cupped hand, a gesture famous in Italy to express disbelief or displeasure. While it is impossible to say exactly what De Gea was thinking or even if he was referring to Ten Hag, it certainly seemed like he was celebrating the Dutch manager's departure. And given how Ten Hag treated De Gea, who can blame him?
Saturday's friendly between United and Fiorentina will see De Gea return to Old Trafford for the first time since his acrimonious departure, giving the goalkeeper the chance to properly say goodbye to the supporters after being denied a proper farewell by the nature of his exit in the summer of 2023.
And as well as regret about the way the club treated one of their greatest players, there is bound to be a lot of revisionism in the stands and a feeling that United should have kept hold of him rather than replace him so suddenly with Andre Onana. It is important, though, that United fans take off their rose-tinted spectacles and remember that the club were right to move on from De Gea; they simple chose the wrong successor.