It appears as though ex-Manchester United goalkeeper and club legend David de Gea has finally found a new club after more than a year since he departed from Old Trafford.
The Spanish keeper, who was the Red Devils’ number one for 12 years, left Manchester back in July 2023 and had been without a team for more than 15 months, but it looks like his lengthy absence from football has finally now come to an end.
According to multiple sources, de Gea has reached an agreement to sign for Italian club Fiorentina on a one-year deal this week and is set to earn approximately £2.5 million per season.
The former Man United star arrived around lunchtime in Florence today (Friday, 9 August) for his medical ahead of signing the contract which is said to include an option for a further year.
Undeniably one of the best shot-stoppers on the planet at his peak, the 33-year-old’s latter days at United may have been less assured than in his heyday, but he still remains highly revered among many fans and the so-called goalkeepers’ union, with the fourth-most clean sheets in Premier League history.
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The former Atlético de Madrid man – who was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for a then-British record fee of £17million at the age of just 21 – went on to surpass Alex Stepney to make the most appearances of any keeper at the club (545), win two golden gloves and earn the Player of the Season award four times.
Despite being out of action professionally, De Gea was most recently seen training at a national team facility back in his home country after posting a video along with the caption, “Ready to rock”.
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Prior to that, he had made appearances at Man United Women’s games at Leigh Sports Village and was seen training at the nearby J Davidson Stadium: the home ground of fast-growing local side Altrincham FC, which is located near his former home in Chesire.
But now it looks as though the gloved veteran will soon be swapping practice in non-league surroundings for a role back between the sticks for the Serie A side who many have dubbed a ‘sleeping giant’, with two league titles, six Coppa Italia trophies and a number of other accolades to their name.
‘La Viola’ haven’t won any silverware in over two decades and having cycled through a variety of keepers in the past few seasons, they will be hoping to establish a consistent number one.
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Moreover, if de Gea can rediscover the form that saw him courted by Real Madrid for several years during his tenure at United, the free agent could prove to be an astute bit of business and potentially key in helping their league favour and chances in other competitions.
Once again taking part in the UEFA Conference League and only narrowly missing out on a seventh Italian cup at the hands of an Inter Milan double in 2023/24, could de Gea icon be the difference for a resurgent Fiorentina?
And what about you, Reds – do you prefer life with André Onana or do you miss the days of ‘Dave Saves’?
Pep Guardiola delivers gutting news as Man City are hit with Erling Haaland injury blow
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola has passed on some gutting fitness news for Manchester City fans as star striker Erling Haaland is confirmed to be injured for several weeks and could even miss the rest of the Premier League season.
The title might be out of reach this year, and the Champions League knockout against Real Madrid was definitely hard for Blues to take, but with Man City into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, there’s still a very strong chance they could end 2024/25 with a piece of silverware.
However, they’ll have to make it through another two massive rounds at Wembley and seemingly the remainder of the season without Haaland and his goals, as the Catalan coach revealed that the club expects him to be out injured for “six to seven weeks.”
Not exactly how City fans would have wanted to see the rest of an already frustrating season play out.
🗣️ "We don't have another player with his skills."
Relaying diagnosis from the medical team, Pep said the hope is that the big Norwegian number nine could be back for the very tail end of the campaign, but at the very least, he “will be ready for the [FIFA Club] World Cup.”
He went on to add that “these kinds of things happen” and that he feels “sorry” for all of the other injuries that have befell his squad up till now, adding that they can only hope for a speedy recovery and for him to return as soon as possible.
The 24-year-old hasn’t had too many big injury problems in his career thus far, although his longest spell on the sidelines did come at the end of 2023 when a stress fracture kept him out until the new year.
This time around, Haaland suffered an injury to his ankle during the City’s FA Cup win over Bournemouth on Sunday following a challenge from defensive midfielder Lewis Cook.
He was forced in the second half and was seen leaving the Vitality Stadium on crutches after the game.
Erling Haaland seen leaving Bournemouth in a protective boot and crutches. 🤕
Having led the golden boot race for a good chunk of the season – as he’s become accustomed too since he arrived in England – City‘s sub-optimal season has seen him slink into second behind high-flying Mo Salah on 27, but he still has a couple dozen goals and a trio of assists to show for it.
Speaking of Salah, the soon-to-leave ‘Egyptian King’ has been the talisman for Liverpool this season, and his contributions could see them lift the trophy in Arne Slot’s first season as early as 13 April, depending on how fellow title rivals Arsenal fare in their next two matches.
As for how City round out their domestic campaign, reclaiming the FA Cup after last year’s derby disappointment looks like the main goal.
You can watch Pep Guardiola’s press conference ahead of the game against Leicester City at 19:45pm tomorrow (Wednesday, 2 April) in full HERE.
Masters Football isn’t just back – it’s coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
The much-loved Masters Football format made its glorious comeback in 2022, and since then, it’s been steadily rebuilding an audience of passionate fans, plenty of whom you’ll find here in the sporting city of Manchester – so it’s a good job the national tournament is heading our way.
That’s right, the official English Masters Football competition is coming to 0161 later this year and will be bringing a host of legendary North West talent from years gone by to take part.
Although the full squads and their team captains have yet to be announced, former professionals from Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, and more will be lacing back up their boots.
Manchester Masters Football 2025 lands at the equally iconic AO Arena this September.
Credit: Publicity Pictures (supplied)
For anyone unfamiliar with Masters Football, which developed a die-hard following when it first ran between 2000 and 2011, is shorter, indoor-only six-a-side footy tournament similar to futsal.
Each team will feature eight retired players, and the games unfold in a round-robin format, with each match consisting of two eight-minute halves, meaning that both sides have a little over a quarter of an hour to score enough to make it past the other.
In addition to the quicker matches, they will battle it out on a 60m x 30m pitch – the same size of an international ice hockey rink – and whoever makes it through with the highest points will battle it out in a grand final to claim the Manchester Masters title.
As you can see, players set to star this year include ex-United and City defenders Wes Brown and Joleon Lescott, as well as Liverpool and Everton strikers Djibril Cisse and Yakubu Ayegbeni.
You can see some of the best moments from the year it officially returned to the UK down below:
The Manchester edition of the 2025 English Masters Football Tournament Series arrives at the AO Arena on Friday, 5 September.
Doors will open to the venue from 6pm, with the first match kicking off at 7pm, so you better have drinks and snacks in time for bums to hit seats.
As for tickets, there’ll be two chances at early access, first for Three+ mobile members at 10am on Wednesday, 2 April and then via the venue’s presale window at the same time the following day. General admission tickets will be made available, also from 10am, the following Saturday, 5 April.
Danny Jones -
9th August 2024 
