David de Gea has defended Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after he was replaced just 17 minutes into his Champions League debut after conceding three goals against Atletico Madrid inside the opening quarter of an hour.
There’s no midweek action for Manchester United for the rest of the season, after failing to qualify for the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League last season.
Still, that won’t stop United fans from keeping an eye on the European action to see how former players and loanees perform, like Marcus Rashford, as well as other English clubs.
It wasn’t a good night for Premier League clubs in their first leg ties of the Champions League last-16 as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0 and Tottenham suffered a 5-1 defeat away at Atletico Madrid.
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Antonin Kinsky after his Champions League debut nightmare
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David de Gea sends class message to Antonin Kinsky following Champions League nightmare
Former United goalkeeper David de Gea was among the first to leap to Antonin Kinsky’s defence following a nightmare Champions League debut for the Tottenham goalkeeper.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper from the Czech Republic received a surprise start ahead of Gulielmo Vicario, who had been criticised after recent performances.
However, Kinsky conceded three times before coach Igor Tudor made a U-turn by bringing on Vicario. The experienced stopper also conceded five minutes after coming on as Atletico jumped to a 4-0 lead.
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Kinsky slipped for the first goal as Marcos Llorente opened the scoring in the sixth minute, before former United target Antoine Griezmann added a second in the 14th minute. The young stopper was also at fault when he passed the ball to former Man City striker Julian Alvarez in the 15th-minute.
The game ended 5-2 in Atletico Madrid’s favour, but the headlines are going to be dominated by Tudor as well as his decision to hook Kinsky after just 17 minutes.
De Gea wasn’t happy with the treatment of Kinsky and urged the young keeper to keep his head up.
He took to X, writing: “No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will go again.”
As one of the top goalkeepers of the Premier League era, De Gea received plenty of low points during his 12 years at Old Trafford.
De Gea wasn’t the only former Premier League keeper to defend Kinsky after his 17-minute cameo from the start, with Joe Hart feeling sorry for the Tottenham goalie.
Hart told TNT Sports: “I’ve been trying to make sense of it, and my overriding feeling is that my heart is absolutely broken for the lad. I know it’s school [sic], it’s Champions League, it’s such an important game.
“I said it before the game, he (Tudor) had the opportunity to give us the reason why he put him in goal, and he didn’t say. Was he getting an opportunity tonight? Was he just getting one game? Who knows.
“That just felt like a message to him. I’m not making excuses for the lad, he’s had a horrible 14 minutes, the slip and that third goal, was just everything he didn’t want to happen.
“I don’t even know what to say. I’ve seen a lot just like you. I know you’re racking your brains, but I’m just heartbroken for the lad.”
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Former goalkeeper Alex Stepney of Manchester United poses with David de Gea
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How has David de Gea performed for Fiorentina this season?
De Gea has remained Fiorentina’s first-choice keeper for a second consecutive season, after taking a year-long break from the sport following his United exit in 2023.
That said, it has been a poor campaign for Fiorentina, who are currently 17th in Serie A and at risk of being relegated to Serie B.
De Gea kept a clean sheet last time out without making a single save in a scoreless draw Parma.
It was his fifth clean sheet of the season, but he has not kept a clean sheet away from home since September.
Fiorentina will hope that De Gea can help them remain in the Italian top flight.
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