David de Gea has seemingly reignited his feud with Erik ten Hag by taking a swipe at the Dutchman following his dismissal on Monday.
De Gea, who played for the Premier League club from 2011 to 2023, appeared to respond to Ten Hag’s departure after his tenure was abruptly ended. The 54-year-old was given the boot following United’s worst start to a Premier League season, with the 2-1 loss to West Ham being the final nail in the coffin.
In response to the news on social media, De Gea didn’t use any words but instead posted a single ‘pinched fingers’ emoji – an emoji often interpreted as a stereotypical Italian gesture.
This reflects the Spaniard’s tumultuous relationship with Ten Hag after he left the club as a free agent in June 2023. Despite spending most of his 12 years at Old Trafford as their first-choice goalkeeper, he was dropped by Ten Hag after just one season.
The relationship between the goalkeeper and Ten Hag deteriorated when it became clear that he wanted to bring in another goalkeeper. He later signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan for a whopping £47million, and the Cameroonian quickly became their number one goalkeeper.
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Onana’s arrival marked the end for De Gea, who was let go after the club decided not to renew the long-serving player’s contract, reportedly worth £375,000 a week, reports the Express.
David de Gea, the ex-Manchester United shot-stopper, endured a 12-month wait before finally joining Serie A squad Fiorentina, where he’s kicked off with a bang. The Athletic spilled the beans that the former Spain ace even mulled over hanging up his gloves post-United, feeling bruised by Ten Hag’s cold shoulder.
De Gea is said to have poured out his grievances to pals, pointing fingers at Ten Hag and then-football honcho John Murtough for nudging him out of Old Trafford, vowing to make a comeback only once they’d cleared their desks.
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But with them gone, a Manchester reunion looks off the cards as De Gea’s found his groove in Florence. Taking to Instagram, he shared a heartfelt update on his football revival: “What a feeling to be back, incredible but with lots of emotions and feelings,” he posted last September.
“I want to thank my family, friends and supporters of Fiorentina for the reception and look forward to the upcoming season to see what we can achieve together.”