It’s been nearly two years since André Onana signed for Man Utd for £47 million. The club’s top choice at the time, Onana was lauded by former football director John Murtough as ‘one of the world’s best goalkeepers… with exactly the right profile of technical attributes and personality.’ This year, however, he’s been fumbling the ball more than usual.
Most recently, Onana was criticised for nearly losing Man Utd a Premier League match against Ipswich Town. Just four minutes into the game, a failed pass between the goalkeeper and Patrick Dorgu—which, notably, was made at the very edge of Onana’s penalty area—allowed the Tractor Boys to score an easy tap-in and gain an early lead, and the team had to come from behind to win 3-2.
This isn’t the first time Onana’s made significant blunders. Similar errors resulted in Champions League losses against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, contributing to the club’s early exit at the group stage last season.
Now, new head coach Ruben Amorim is considering signing a new goalkeeper to expand his options before his first full season in charge of the club—and though there are plenty of options available, fans and football writers alike are calling for Man Utd to bring back the player Onana was meant to replace: David De Gea.
Calls to bring club legend De Gea back
Man Utd supporters immediately took to social media after the club’s February 27th match against Ipswich to express their disappointment with Onana’s performance. Many called for De Gea’s return, with one X (formerly Twitter) user pointing out that De Gea would be available on a free transfer in the summer—something that Man Utd could take advantage of.
Sports journalist Tom Jeffreys supported the benefits of such a move, noting that ‘he represents an improvement on a short-term basis until a goalkeeper that suits becomes available.’ That’s especially true given De Gea’s 12-year-long stint playing for Man Utd—and as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, no less. Jeffreys adds that there’s precedent for the club to pull off a ‘sentimental re-signing,’ amid their recent trophy drought.
Challenges De Gea has faced in his career
What makes De Gea stand out is his dedication to mastering his craft—despite the multiple physical limitations that have hindered him over the years. When he started playing for Atlético Madrid, he was often benched due to his slight frame. Instead of giving in, however, De Gea continuously worked to improve his shot-stopping skills, positioning, and reflexes, resulting in him making for Atlético Madrid in 2009. Soon after, he became the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Once he moved to Man Utd, however, he faced a steeper learning curve and became known for a series of errors. He was ridiculed in his first five months with the club, something critics attributed to his hyperopia (farsightedness). Because he lacked a stable prescription, Man Utd’s full-time optometrist pushed De Gea to instead rely on prescription glasses. Coming from sports-minded brands like Oakley, these often come with durable and flexible frames and form-fitting features like adjustable nosepads on top of vision correction for conditions like hyperopia, making them particularly suitable for De Gea to use while away from training and matches.
During games, he trades them out for soft contact lenses. These use thinner, more comfortable materials that make them less likely to fall out, unlike the tougher prescription contacts Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice required medical intervention for during a 2023 match against Crystal Palace. The streamlined medical aids allowed De Gea to work with Man Utd goalkeeping coach Eric Steele to improve his passing accuracy and footwork, which were formerly considered among his weaknesses. Thanks to this persistence, De Gea’s overcome these physical limitations to become a top goalkeeper who’s earned multiple Player of the Season Awards during his time with Man Utd.
De Gea’s accolades while at Utd
Impressed by De Gea’s performance with Atlético Madrid, Man Utd signed him in 2011 for over £18.9 million (£27.4 million in today’s money)—a record transfer for a goalkeeper to the Premier League at the time. In his first two years on the job, he helped the club win the Premier League, Europa Cup, and English FA Cup.
By 2016, De Gea became the first-ever Man Utd player to win the club’s Player of the Year award three times in a row. In his 12 years with United, De Gea also received a number of individual honours from the Premier League, the Professional Footballers Association, the UEFA Europa League, and FIFA. He was also the successor to Iker Casillas in the Spanish national team.
De Gea’s as free agent
Despite how valuable he was to Man Utd, De Gea received what Jeffreys calls an ‘unceremonious departure’ in 2023. According to Sky Sports, management failed to make a formal offer to renew his contract despite the two parties negotiating terms over his last few months with the club. Following the expiry of De Gea’s original contract in July 2023, the goalkeeper officially became a free agent, finishing his time with the club as its seventh all-time appearance holder and the last player brought in by Sir Alex Ferguson before his departure. Ex-manager Erik ten Hag eventually recruited Onana to take his place.
Joining Fiorentina
After roughly a year of being a free agent, De Gea officially signed a one-year deal with the Italian club Fiorentina in August 2024. Fiorentina appears to have benefited from their newest goalkeeper, with moves like De Gea’s impressive triple save against Como in November giving the club its seventh consecutive Serie A win for only the second time in its history. The goalkeeper then went on to help Fiorentina nab a 3-0 win against Italian giants Inter Milan in February this year, which further sparked calls for Man Utd to re-sign the shot-stopper.
Current form
De Gea has maintained solid form while playing for Fiorentina. Coach Raffaele Palladino even remarked that he’s exceeded expectations so far, stating that De Gea, who turns 35 this year, is ‘making saves like a boy who’s 20.’ Though his debut with the club ended in a 3-2 loss against Atalanta, his statistics are currently some of the most impressive in Serie A, with over seven clean sheets, only 25 goals conceded, and a 72% save percentage during this season.
That’s compared to Onana, who—though he also has seven clean sheets this season—conceded 39 goals and has a save percentage of around 65%. As of February 27th, he’s also made three major errors leading to goals compared to De Gea’s zero. Thanks to De Gea’s contributions, Fiorentina are currently in better form than Man Utd—the club are also in the running for a spot in the Champions League places, while Utd sit in 14th in the Premier League.
The likelihood of De Gea coming back to Utd
That said, how likely is it for Man Utd to bring De Gea back into the fold? The answer is not very. If De Gea keeps up his current performances, Fiorentina will probably active a contract clause that would not only extend his one-year deal, but also double his wages. Given that the latter was a major point of contention between De Gea and Utd during their negotiations in 2023, it could mean he’s out of reach for Utd.
According to former club scout Mick Brown, Utd have been concerned about Onana’s inconsistency, and have been looking at other suitable candidates for a while now. One accessible option is Onana’s understudy, Altay Bayindir, who remains underutilised despite rising to the occasion in a past FA Cup game. Utd have also identified AC Milan’s Mike Maignan as one of the main goalkeeping options. Another key signing Utd are considering is Espanyol shot-stopper Joan Garcia.
However, Onana appears to have no intention of leaving the club—even if Amorim confirms he is looking for a replacement. According to Samuel Luckhurst, chief Utd writer for the Manchester Evening News, the goalkeeper has his heart set on seeing out his contract through to 2028.
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