Sport

Manchester United legend David de Gea finally lands new club after move to Italy agreed

He's been a free agent for well over a year now.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 9th August 2024

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.

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‘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’?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Кирилл Венедиктов/Sailko (via Wiki Commons)/Vankov (via GoodFon)

Sport

A Salford community centre is hosting a specialChristmas-themed pro wrestling show

Danny Jones Danny Jones festive wrestling event Salford community centre

A local community centre in Salford is hosting a Christmas-themed pro wrestling show this festive period and it might just be one of the coolest-sounding fundraisers we’ve heard in a while.

Do sleigh bells and body slams go together? Well, we’re going to find out.

Hosting the special seasonal edition of PinFall Wrestling, the local sports entertainment group based out of Salford Gymnastic Centre, beloved local organisation The Rec will be helping put on a whole evening of fighting action from their 20ft wrestling ring.

Scheduled to get underway on Saturday, 14 December, a whole slew of UK wrestling talent will be competing in PinFall’s Christmas Chaos 2024.

Managed by the Salford Involved Cooperative, a non-profit enterprise that helps fund places like The Rec, nearby gyms and other important community outlets,

Promising “turkey, tinsel and takedowns”, the star-studded roster includes ITV’s World of Wrestling stars Sheikh El Sham and Martin Kirby, plus fan favourites like Commander Sterling.

Better yet, as well as many other familiar faces to those immersed in the British wrestling scene, the event will also feature talent from the Top Rope Wrestling Academy (TRWA), all of which will be making their PinFall debut.

Christmas Chaos takes place at The Rec on Camp Street in Salford (M7 1ZT), just five minutes or so outside of Manchester city centre, with doors opening from 2:30pm.

Adult admission is only a tenner and children aged 15 and under go even cheaper at just £6. Tickets are available HERE and you can even spring for early access through VIP passes if you’re feeling fancy.

Once again, all the funds raised through ticket sales go straight back into the centre and towards organising other community events throughout the year.

Credit: PinFall Wrestling (supplied)

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The Rec is based in East Salford, which has eight out of its 13 neighbourhoods listed as the lowest 10% on the country’s index of multiple deprivation.

They offer a wide range of support services throughout the week that help tackle the effects of poverty in the area including recovery support for those struggling with addiction, refugee and asylum seeker classes, sports, youth activities, food banks and more.

As well as ticketed events like these, they regularly hold free community fun days such as their annual Easter event and Christmas present drive, which saw over 250 presents handed out to locals in 2023.

Working with multiple regional and national organisations such as Greater Manchester Police, the NHS, National Lottery, Sports England, Children in Need, The Mustard Tree and more, the importance of the work done at The Rec cannot be overstated.

More importantly, places like this need constant support directly from the communities that they serve, especially during difficult times like the one we are facing right now. So, if you fancy helping the much-loved Salford community centre and watching some festive wrestling shenanigans, see you there.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – Supplied

Sport

Rúben Amorim outlines the three key things Manchester United need to work on

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim first pre-match press conference Man United

Rúben Amorim has conducted his first full press conference as Manchester United manager and has outlined the three key things he wants to address when it comes to his new team.

Amorim officially joined Man United on Monday, 11 November after being given a ‘now or never’ which meant he had to leave his former club Sporting CP in the middle of the season.

Replacing Erik ten Hag, who was sacked less than 24 hours after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham and had overseen a run of bad results, the contract extension he was given in the summer ultimately proved obsolete and now the Portuguese head coach must lift his new side from a measly 13th in the table.

That being said, speaking to the media in his first full pre-match presser ahead of his maiden Premier League outing against Ipswich Town this weekend, Amorim has already highlighted three key areas in which he wants United to improve as a matter of priority.

What did Amorim say in his first full Man United press conference?

Although the 39-year-old coach – who is only three years older than resurgent centre-back Johnny Evans – started off by assuring that his main focus at its core is to win the next match (and the one after that, as the football cliché goes), he boiled the current squad issues down to a troublesome trio.

In his eyes, a lot of it just comes down to pure physical effort.

Improve possession

First and foremost, Amorim was quick to point out that United “lose the ball too often” and simply have to retain it more throughout the 90 minutes.

Although they have enjoyed spells of greater control in games, their average possessions stats in the Premier League not only under ten Hag but Ole Gunnar Solskjær and even short-lived interim boss Ralf Rangnick never flirted too far above 50-53%.

While that might sound like the signs of nothing more than a well-contested game, the club need to be looking at much higher numbers if they want to start being a dominant force again.

Track back more

The second area he said that the team desperately needs to improve in is the distances covered per match, especially when it comes to running back towards their own goal and tracking back during defensive phases.

Addressing it in a rather matter-of-fact manner, he told reporters: “We have to be better at running back, I think that is clear for everybody [to see].” He told Gary Neville something very similar in his other recent interview with Sky Sports.

He said it with a smile on his face but it’s clear that he knows there is a narrative surrounding United in recent years that they just don’t work hard enough, both on and off the ball. Having played mainly in the middle of the park for Belenenses, Benfica and SC Braga, running is a non-negotiable.

Focus on the ‘details’ first

Lastly, Amorim said he believes one of the big things he can do for these players is to help them fine-tune the small things. He added that although there is a feeling that fans want there to be “a lot of change” and pressure to make “big” decisions, he reiterated that “it’s the small things.”

The former utility player knows a thing or two about playing in lots of positions and going back to the opening point of his press conference in which he discussed getting the team to believe in “one thing”, he believes that the minute differences can contribute to changing how they approach the game.

There is understandably lots of talk surrounding his trademark 3-4-3 formation and whether these details refer to tactical tweaks, we will see, but he insists that so long as they put in the effort and pay attention to the little stuff, those on the pitch will start to play in the same way that he wants them to.

You can watch his press conference ahead of the Ipswich away this Sunday in full down below:

Amorim was also happy to casually call out those who ‘don’t believe in’ his new players in his first press conference as Man United coach.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — BeanymanSports (via YouTube screenshot)

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