COMMENT: Bruno Fernandes is right. Of course he is. David de Gea, his now formerManchester United teammate, deserved better. Much better. Both from the club and his teammates over the years...
So it's over. An end of an era. A 12 year Old Trafford career now moving onto it's next phase. As this column has stated, it's a decision by De Gea that makes sense. You just hope those at the club show a little bit of class and don't put it about that there was "no offer for him to reject" as we're getting quietly this morning. Whatever the truth about it, United should let De Gea go quietly with dignity - and on his terms. There's no benefit to anyone trying to suggest otherwise. Whatever's the real story, just keep it buttoned.
As we say Fernandes, effectively United's new club captain in waiting, was spot on with his reaction on Saturday. The midfielder responding to De Gea's announcement with a public post of his own: "You know what I think about you and how much I will miss you bro.
“You deserved to say goodbye at the stadium with all the fans cheering you for all the beautiful memories. You made history at the club and your name will not be forgotten, and no one can take that away from you."
Of course, making his thoughts public brings with it speculation over the meaning of Fernandes' words. A dig at management? At those who have undervalued his former teammate over these years? Perhaps. But we'd go further.
De Gea did deserve better. For the talent. For the consistency. For his commitment. For all he gave his now former club, De Gea deserved much, much better in return. The Spaniard deserved to be part of the Manchester United team of the 1990s. Of the 2000s. That he joined United on the cusp of their decline was no fault of his. It's fair to say De Gea was Sir Alex Ferguson's last great piece of transfer business before retirement. And we'd include Robin van Persie in that.
Ferguson and Eric Steele recruited De Gea to be the 10-year player the former Atletico Madrid prospect would eventually become. Ferguson never wavered in backing De Gea in his early years at United. Steele had his goalkeeping coaches learn Spanish - rather than vice-versa - to make the youngster as comfortable as possible. Just as they had with Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand or Roy Keane. They saw De Gea on the same plane and invested everything in the young Madrileno.
And he justified that investment. Others didn't. But De Gea certainly did. And the one compliment you could offer is that David de Gea would not have looked out of place in any of Ferguson's great Manchester United teams.
Yeah, he had his moments. Yes, there is a mistake in him. But that's the same for any goalkeeper. Even Peter Schmeichel would drop -literally - a clanger. So many of us can still recall the Dane dropping a cross onto Lee Chapman's head at the Stretford End in Leeds United's title winning season.
It happens to the best of 'em. And De Gea is certainly up there with the best. Winning the club's Player of the Year four times says it all. He never had Jaap Stam or Gary Pallister ahead of him as Schmeichel did. Nor Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic as Edwin van der Sar enjoyed. It was often De Gea and ten others. Where United the previous two decades were brimming with world class talent, post Ferguson, it was the Spaniard and little else.
And it's a shame. De Gea did deserve better. He did deserve more. But that's football. Indeed, you do wonder how both the paths of player and club would've panned out if not for a faulty fax machine at the Bernabeu back in 2015. Instead of De Gea winning three Champions League titles as Real Madrid's No1, it was Keylor Navas who would benefit most from the chaos. The Costa Rican, who was left in tears at the time, surely must've gone back to thank everyone at the Bernabeu office for cocking that one up.
But again, that's football. That's the cards both men were dealt. But no-one could argue against claims De Gea would've fit smoothly into the teams of Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade.
That's what they had, did United. A goalkeeper worthy of the best team in the last ten years. A team some in Madrid liken to the era of Puskas and Di Stefano. De Gea, even if 12 years familiarity did breed some contempt, was worthy of that team.
So now he goes. At 32, he'll be 33 in November, De Gea still has his peak years as a goalkeeper ahead of him. Inter Milan. Perhaps an Atletico return. You hope he chooses a club capable of doing more than United have this past decade.
De Gea deserves silverware. He deserves trophies. For his ability. His personality. He deserved much, much better than he received from a career at Manchester United.
