Bruno Fernandes has shown his support for former Manchester United colleague David de Gea, whose 12-association with the Red Devils abruptly ended in 2023
Bruno Fernandes has made it clear he’s still a huge fan of David de Gea, despite the former Manchester United goalkeeper being brutally axed from the team. Now 34, De Gea joined Fiorentina last summer after spending a year in limbo without a club.
His long stint at United came to an abrupt end in 2023 when Erik ten Hag brought in Andre Onana – who has struggled to live up to expectations or fill De Gea’s gloves. Over the weekend, De Gea reminded everyone that United was missing with a brilliant close-range stop in Fiorentina’s 2-2 Serie A draw against AC Milan.
Fernandes clearly took notice. He posted a clip of the save to his Instagram story, adding a De Gea-themed sticker. The post was not captioned, but the message was loud and clear: he still rates his former team-mate among the best around.
The pair shared the pitch for three-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford, although De Gea’s prime arguably came before Fernandes arrived in 2020. The Spain international joined the Red Devils in 2011 and was the club’s No. 1 under a string of managers, with Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Ralf Rangnick all relying on him between the posts.
However, things changed when Ten Hag took charge in 2022. Prioritising ball-playing ability and distribution from the back, the Dutchman turned to Onana, someone he trusted from his Ajax days – ultimately forcing an end to De Gea’s 12-year reign in Manchester.
After a shaky start, Onana finally appears to be finding his footing at United. The Cameroonian endured a rocky debut season, marked by several high-profile blunders that had some fans calling for De Gea to be brought back.
The former Atletico Madrid star appeared to mock Ten Hag when news broke of his United sacking in October last year. In a cryptic post, published just a few hours after the dismissal, De Gea posted a pinched fingers emoji, with many viewing it as a subtle dig at his former manager.
Just six individuals have made more appearances for United than De Gea. The Spaniard left with 545 games for the club under his belt – more than any other keeper in their history.
Fernandes and De Gea had a solid connection both on and off the pitch. Last month, after Fernandes notched the 50th assist of his Premier League career, De Gea cheekily insisted his total was in fact 49.
Responding to a clip of an Edinson Cavani goal uploaded to X by United’s official account, De Gea wrote: “49 assists! This is mine. Ask him,” alongside a laughing-face emoji.
The goal in question was Cavani’s gorgeous long-range chip against Fulham during the 2020/21 season. The Uruguayan latched on to a punt up the field by De Gea, which appeared to be nudged forward by Fernandes, who was credited with the assist. However, replays suggested that the Portugal star didn’t actually touch the ball.
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