Eric Ten Hag has been suspicious of De Gea from his first day in charge of Manchester United. But by the end of last season, De Gea had reached the point of no return. Last summer, he wanted to spend his transfer budget on centre-backs, left-backs, midfielders and wingers. When Ten Hag sat down with football director John Moerte earlier this year to decide how to spend his money this summer, it was widely thought he could work with De Gea for another year, but he later changed his mind.
Mistakes against Sevilla, West Ham United and the FA Cup final against Manchester City convinced Ten Hag it was time for a change. Ultimately, it was De Gea who announced his retirement on Saturday, and the team realized that if he stayed, his role would be greatly reduced. De Gea's social media posts followed with a statement from the club, in which Multe said De Gea would "leave United with the deepest respect and warmest thanks from everyone associated with the club".
If it does, Inter goalkeeper Andrea Onana will take De Gea's place, although compromises will still need to be made on the transfer fee. United are looking at other targets, as is Dean Henderson, who returned on loan from Nottingham Forest, but Onana is Ten Hag's first choice, having worked with Ajax. Ahead of the Champions League final, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola stressed that Onana is one of Inter's most dangerous players because of his ability to keep the goal.
De Gea made a terrible mistake against West Ham United, allowing Saeed Benrahma's soft shot to slip through his fingers, but his performance in the Europa League against Sevilla highlighted bigger problems. His two mistakes led to United's 3-0 loss. After West Ham United and Sevilla, Ten Hag defended his goalkeeper from public criticism, but changed tone after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup final. "Let's put it this way, we're moving in the right direction," he said. "But there are occasions in the game where we have to improve the problems in the game if we want to take the next step and win the trophy.
Despite the limp end of his Manchester United career, De Gea will eventually be remembered as a legend for the club. His 545 appearances put him seventh on the all-time list, with his four Player of the Year awards in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 behind Cristiano Ronaldo. He was part of the last Manchester United team to win the Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and surpassed Peter Schmeichel's record for the most clean sheets in Manchester United's history.