David de Gea’s appearance between the sticks at Old Trafford was a moment of nostalgia for Manchester United fans, a reminder of better times. The goalkeeper’s departure at the end of the 2022-2023 season epitomises the club’s self-inflicted problems, the sort of business ineptitude that has scarred United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe will demand is a thing of the past.
When André Onana, a goalkeeper well-known to the then manager Erik ten Hag, was available for nothing, United allowed De Gea to run down his contract and then spent £40m on the Cameroonian a year later. The logic was lost on everyone, missing out on a fee for the Spaniard, despite a subpar final season, and then splashing out on an inferior replacement.
