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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Manchester United fans send message to David de Gea following cryptic Instagram post

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has taken to social media for the first time since last weekend's 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City at Wembley.

The shot-stopper, who is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of this month, found himself on the receiving end of a wealth of criticism once again after failing to do more for Ilkay Gundogan's second-half winner. The City midfielder hit an effort from just outside the penalty area that De Gea was too slow to react to, meaning it crept into the bottom corner.

A plethora of United fans immediately slammed the Spaniard for being too slow to react, as well as former Reds midfielder Roy Keane, who demanded that the club brings in a new goalkeeper this summer. The former Republic of Ireland international has been a regular critic of De Gea and was furious with his failure to keep Gundogan's effort out.

READ MORE: United youngster's future has been decided by Erik ten Hag's first signing

"They need a new goalkeeper and world-class striker, I'm sick of saying it!" Keane said. "De Gea's not good enough, he is not going to be the one to take United back to winning trophies."

De Gea, despite keeping 17 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, bagging himself the Golden Glove, has attracted regular criticism in recent weeks after being guilty of committing errors in the defeats to Sevilla (3-0), West Ham United (1-0) and City. However, United are expected to retain him on reduced terms.

Nevertheless, De Gea's latest social media post, which featured a video of him in the sea away on holiday enjoying some downtime after a marathon season, suggested that he is currently mulling over his future. United want him to stay, but he is not guaranteed to remain their No.1 goalkeeper.

Posting just three words on Twitter, De Gea wrote: "Relax. Recharge. Contemplate."

Considering United have not ruled out the prospect of bringing in a new goalkeeper this summer, it is possible that De Gea is mulling over his future at Old Trafford and what to do next, despite often reiterating his desire to stay at the club. He has been with United since 2011 and has racked up more than 540 appearances.

Unsurprisingly, De Gea's social media activity triggered a response from a wave of United supporters, who quickly took to social media to share their opinions on what the Spaniard could have been meaning. Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what they had to say:

While some fans used the opportunity to wish De Gea well and told him to enjoy his holiday, others used it as a platform to urge him to leave. Patience is wearing thin with the former Atletico Madrid ace among a growing number of United supporters and that was reflected in some of the comments.

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