As David de Gea contemplates retirement at 32 should no major club come calling, he might wish to study the CV of the No 1 he replaced at Manchester United in summer 2011 before taking any decision.
De Gea, who left United as a free agent in July, is minded to prolong his career only for a side that can compete for top honours. Yet when his predecessor, Edwin van der Sar, arrived at Old Trafford in 2005 he was two years older than De Gea is now and signed from a team whose closest dalliance with a trophy was losing the 1975 FA Cup final: Fulham, who Van der Sar moved to from Italy’s most storied club, Juventus, in 2001.
