David de Gea was served Manchester United well for more than a decade but things could have been very different had he got his transfer wish all the way back in 2015
After a 12-year career at Manchester United, it is remarkable that David de Gea actually still divides opinion among the Old Trafford faithful.
A winner of one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one Europa League, you'd have thought he'd have cemented his status as a United favourite. However, his legacy is significantly more complicated than that, given the tail-end of his time between the sticks was so often littered with calamitous errors that the opinion on his United career has soured slightly.
It is important to note that in his final season as United's goalkeeper, De Gea also won the Golden Glove award. And yet, manager Erik ten Hag remained unconvinced and as a result did not offer the Spaniard a new contract following the expiration of his most recent deal.
Mirror Football has taken a look at three standout moments in the demise of a shot-stopper once viewed as the Premier League's very best.
Transfer collapse
De Gea's exit nearly came eight years before he eventually departed when Spanish giants Real Madrid made clear they were keen on prying the shot-stopper away from Old Trafford. Los Blancos reached a player-plus-cash agreement with the Red Devils to sign De Gea, believed to be worth £29million plus Keylor Navas.
However, the documents required to finalise the deal were not sent to Real Madrid in time to beat the Spanish transfer deadline. As a result, the deal collapsed and those at the top of the La Liga giants' hierarchy were left seething.
So angered were Real Madrid, they actually released a statement confirming: "In short, Real Madrid has done everything necessary, and at all times, to implement these two transfers." De Gea was keen on the switch and devastated when the deal fell through, it represented his last real chance to join the Spanish titans.
Real Madrid never made any more real pursuits to secure his signature once again and De Gea remained at United until being allowed to leave on a free. How different things could have been had the Red Devils got their affairs in order just a tad quicker.
A return to Manchester
De Gea clearly still considers Manchester a home away from home given how long he spent in the city and was back just months after seeing his last contract with United expire.
The 32-year-old was in attendance for Manchester United Women's Champions League debut at Leigh Sports Village. He also took to Instagram to show fans how he is still training and maintaining his fitness despite not having a club currently.
He posted an image of his feet crossed outside a tennis court, tagging his location as Manchester. Reports claim that the goalkeeper had returned to the city as he prepares to clear out his house in Hale, which he lived in for 12 years.
De Gea's re-appearance in Manchester did not do much to quieten the calls from some urging the club to re-sign the 33-year-old veteran following the woeful displays by his replacement Andre Onana.
Onana upgrade claim
For all of the criticism De Gea faced during the latter stages of his United career, some feel that his successor Onana has struggled just as much early on. The Cameroon international was purchased from Serie A titans Inter Milan last summer but has looked less than convincing in the opening exchanges of his time at the club.
Ex-United striker Louis Saha has not been left overjoyed with how Onana has played so far but made clear he doesn't have to do too much more to go beyond the level De Gea was operating at.
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