David de Gea will make an emotional return to Old Trafford for the first time since he left Manchester United in 2023.
Manchester United will wrap up their pre-season tour on Saturday with a friendly at home to Fiorentina. It will mark David de Gea’s first return to Old Trafford since his exit when he left the club as a free agent.
De Gea signed for United in 2011 and spent 12 years at the club, making 545 appearances. He won several trophies during his time in England, including the Premier League, the Europa League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup.
Although former manager Erik ten Hag chose to replace De Gea as number one, eventually signing Andre Onana as his replacement, the Spaniard will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers to play for the club, along with Edwin van der Sar and Peter Schmeichel.
De Gea missed the entire 2023/24 campaign as he decided what to do next with his career before joining Serie A outfit Fiorentina. He is embarking on his second season with the Italian club and faces United in an emotional friendly this weekend.
David de Gea playing for Fiorentina
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
David de Gea sends message to Bruno Fernandes
De Gea, 34, is preparing to face United on Saturday.
Fiorentina have been in the UK for over a week training, while De Gea has been doing plenty of media work to preview the match at Old Trafford.
The Italian side have played two friendlies against Leicester City and Nottingham Forest since arriving in the UK, with United up next.
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De Gea recorded a video message for United media’s team, sending a message to Bruno Fernandes about his ability to score goals.
“As you know I am coming back to your home. For sure, it is going to be special for me,” De Gea said.
“Bruno, you know you cannot score against me and if you score, it’s because I let you score so people will keep singing your name. No but, obviously, I cannot wait to see you my friend.
“I can’t wait to see you all at Old Trafford. So I’ll be there on Saturday, see you soon.”
Fernandes has been in goalscoring form throughout the pre-season tour for United and De Gea will need to be at his best to prevent the Portuguese Magnificio from adding to his tally.
Prior to De Gea’s video, Fernandes sent a message to his former teammate, which was also considered cheeky.
When does the season start for De Gea?
As is the case with United, this will be Fiorentina’s final pre-season friendly.
De Gea will return to competitive action on Thursday, 21 August, when Fiorentina take part in the Europa Conference League play-off, with their opponents yet to be confirmed.
Then, the Serie A campaign starts with a trip to Cagliari the following weekend.
De Gea proved his worth in the Fiorentina team last season and showed some of his best form, despite taking a year’s break from the beautiful game.