On Saturday, De Gea announced his departure from Manchester United, which means that all the United players of the Ferguson era have left. Renowned journalist Richard Martin wrote that abandoning De Gea was the right choice made by Ten Hach, and the following is a full translation.
David De Gea has confirmed that his Manchester United career is over and there is no doubt that the Red Devils have broken with De Gea once and for all.
There are two ways to look at De Gea's departure from United after 12 years after his contract expires, first, the club withdrew his contract extension to allow De Gea to leave as a free agent, which seems to be another example of the club's mismanagement.
It was somewhat embarrassing that one club decided to renew the contract of a core player and then withdrew it just days before his contract expired. It's too bad to do that to a player who has been with United for 12 years, helped the team out of the doldrums time and time again, holds the club record with 190 clean sheets and makes more appearances than any goalkeeper.
Alternatively, United ended up making a difficult but important decision that could allow them to sign a goalkeeper who could help them truly return to the top of European football and truly fit the team's tactical approach. As callous as it may be, Manchester United should do the same.
Frequent mistakes
A somewhat brutal truth is that David De Gea made too many mistakes at key moments last season, which cost United dearly, preventing him from proving worthy of the main position. Although De Gea won the Golden Glove, he was repeatedly scored by his opponents for his own mistakes.
In a 4-0 defeat to Brentford, De Gea played a mess, with three goals conceded by his mistakes. He first took off Silva's shot, then missed an own goal for Jensen, and finally missed the corner kick.
During the FA Cup third-round game against Everton, Mopai's cross slipped through De Gea's legs and Cody sent the ball into an empty net. De Gea was equally poor against Betis in the Europa League, and luckily his mistakes were not caught by his opponents. However, in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Sevilla, De Gea had the worst performance of United's career.
De Gea was again in the butter hand against West Ham and also did poorly in the FA Cup final against Manchester City. Having repeatedly seen De Gea collapse in the face of pressure, it is understandable that Manchester United decided to sell De Gea.
A goalkeeper abandoned by the times
In addition to a string of low-level mistakes, De Gea has proven incapable of adapting to the demands of modern football, scrambling when playing at the back when faced with pressing opponents.
De Gea has never been a goalkeeper known for his passing skills, and as such, he has not been called up to the Spanish national team since 2020. However, since Ten Hach took over at Manchester United in the summer window of 2022, this shortcoming of his has received increasing attention.
In the two games against Brentford and Sevilla, it was his worst game. Throughout the season, however, De Gea had trouble once asked to pass the ball at the back. In a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, De Gea was forced to give up short passes and instead kicked the ball to the front and returned possession directly to his opponents. In the FA Cup final against Manchester City, De Gea made the same big match.
De Gea's rough technique at his feet forced Ten Hach to abandon tactics of organising at the back, forcing him to develop a different tactic than when he was in charge of Ajax. Not surprisingly, United are looking to sign Onana, who signed in the summer window, having previously played for Ten Hag's Ajax. In the Champions League final against Manchester City, Onana showed excellent dribbling and passing skills.
Manchester United need a breakthrough
The media revealed that Manchester United has reached an agreement with Onana to sign a five-year contract with Manchester United once the offer is accepted by Inter.
While Ten Hach will certainly put Onana as the main goalkeeper, there is no point in keeping De Gea. Any top goalkeeper looking to join United wants a guaranteed place and retaining De Gea would make that even more unimaginable.
To put it simply, Manchester United and De Gea need to cut two cuts. The Spanish goalkeeper is a very confident player and once he stays at the club and Manchester United sign a player who directly competes with him for the main goalkeeper, then it will only make him feel more threatened.
Ten Hach's doubts
The Daily Mail revealed that Tenhakh's doubts about De Gea's abilities were the main reason for the latter's decision to leave. Publicly, Ten Hach has continued to support De Gea, even if the Spaniard has had poor performances, such as after the games against West Ham and Manchester City.
However, Tenhach has also questioned De Gea, for example saying that he would not ignore the goalkeeper's sloppy passes. After the FA Cup final against Manchester City, Ten Hach admitted: "If we want to take the next step and win trophies, then we need to improve in some areas. ”
Ten Hagher's ruthlessness has been welcomed by Manchester United fans, and Pep Guardiola has paid off for such a decision before.
Follow in Pep Guardiola's footsteps
When Pep Guardiola arrived at City in 2016, Joe Hart was City's undisputed number one goalkeeper and helped the team win the Premier League twice and also win the FA Cup and League Cup. He is very popular in the dressing room and an icon for the fans.
However, Guardiola is well aware of what kind of tactics he wants the team to play, but believes Joe Hart is not suitable for his tactics. He waived Joe Hart and used Caballero in his first season in charge of Manchester City. He then loaned Joe Hart to Turin and signed Bravo from Barca.
In 2022, Joe Hart reflected on a conversation with Pep Guardiola, who told him he had to leave, "He knows my background very well, his tactics and the way I play. We had a two-hour conversation and he ended up saying, 'I don't think you're a good fit.' I hope I've been proven wrong, but what I'm seeing in me is not what I want to see from the goalkeeper. ’”
Guardiola made the right choice to let an idol like Joe Hart go, and it looked like a mistake given Bravo's poor first season at Manchester City, who failed to win the title and finished third in the Premier League.
Although Guardiola chose people, he made the right judgment. A year later, Manchester City signed Ederson and Pep Guardiola finally found his goalkeeper. In his six years at Ederson, City have won the Premier League five times, and Ederson has played a crucial role in the team.
Close the stable door after the horse has bolted
Ten Hach shares a similar football philosophy to Pep Guardiola, having worked together for two years at Bayern Munich when he coached Bayern's reserve team. Pep Guardiola needs a goalkeeper who can play the team's attacking and passing the ball, and so does Ten Hach.
Ahead of the Champions League final, Guardiola praised Onana and indirectly criticised De Gea, "It's hard to put pressure on Onana, you can't put pressure on such a goalkeeper. If you look at Manchester United, once you put pressure on them, then they just open their feet. ”
De Gea's technical shortcomings make United sometimes seem like a team that plays long passes, and his presence makes it impossible for Ten Hach to ask the team to play according to their own tactical ideas. Despite Ridjea's tremendous contribution to United over the past 12 years, he has also been holding back the team's development. No matter how unpopular such a decision may be, the club is to be commended for finally realising it.
The club's plan for the team looks terrible, but it's not too late to make amends. Now they can finally move on, signing in the goalkeeper Ten Hach wants, or fully supporting the upcoming Onana.