David de Gea returns to Manchester to watch United Women in first-ever Champions League game
Manchester United legend David de Gea is back in Manchester and cheering on his old team again after he was spotted in attendance at United Women’s Champions League match against PSG on Tuesday night.
With this being the first time de Gea has been spotted out and about in Manchester since he left his former club of 12 seasons this summer and the first time in history that Man United Women had played in a UCL match, it was a significant night for everyone involved.
Marc Skinner’s side has made a positive start to the new campaign after only narrowly missing out on the WSL trophy last year, after already beating Aston Villa in the season opener and drawing against title rivals Arsenal, not to mention having a very winnable game against Leicester on Sunday, 15 October.
That being said, with their first-ever competitive European match on the cards, de Gea felt compelled to come and cheer them on at Leigh Sports Village, alongside around 5,000 other fans — much to the delight of those in the stands.
Having shared what looked to be a picture of him training back in 0161 (or “Mánchester”, as he captioned it), this was one of the first sightings of the 32-year-old since he left United in the summer ahead of replacement André Onana — who has made somewhat of a shaky to start, to say the least.
Arriving at Old Trafford in 2011, de Gea played 545 games for the club and broke the all-time club records for both goalkeeper appearances and clean sheets during his tenure.
The Spaniard is still without a new club after his time in red came to an end and is thought to be back in Greater Manchester to clear out his home in Hale, Altrincham before presumably flying back to his home country for the foreseeable.
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The shot-stopper has been most closely linked with a return to Spain as his next destination, with Real Betis being one of the most recent prospects, according to reports, but failed to find a new contract in the most recent transfer window.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of United fans who would still have him back and female number one Mary Earps will no doubt have been chuffed to see the goalkeepers’ union there in support.
The Red Devils went on to draw the game 1-1 following an equaliser from Melvine Malard in the 70th minute to keep them in the qualifying tie. If they win the second leg in Paris next Wednesday, they will go through to the group stages.
You can watch the highlights of Man United vs PSG down below:
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Featured Image — @bennymufc/@MufcWonItAll2 (via Twitter)