It only seems like five minutes since Manchester United and David de Gea parted ways after they were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract. Erik ten Hag had decided, with help from his backroom staff, that De Gea was not the long-term solution to the goalkeeper situation at Old Trafford . Mistakes towards the end of his career with the Reds played against him badly, as did the desire to have a shot-stopper who also had 'world-class' distribution skills.
While a deal was on the table at Old Trafford , it was clear De Gea would be second choice to incoming Andre Onana and that was not something the Spaniard was willing to stick around and agree to so he left. 12 months later, MEN Sport has taken a closer look at what he has been doing this past year. READ MORE: De Gea sends three-word transfer message READ MORE: De Gea to announce next club amid transfer hint Cryptic tweets In the build-up to his release, De Gea was adding fuel to the fire of speculation surrounding his future.
Tweets posted during negotiations, which included a juggling boy and yawn emoji, were thought to reflect his impatience with talks between himself and the powers that be. Once his exit was eventually confirmed, De Gea was respectful with his kind words aimed towards the club and those he was leaving behind but it was clear some of his teammates were unhappy with the way the goalkeeper's exit was handled. "You deserved to say goodbye at the stadium with all the fans cheering you for all the beautiful memories," Bruno Fernandes posted on Instagram as De Gea's time at Old Trafford ended.
Retirement consideration According to The Athletic , De Gea considered retiring from football and took between four and five months out of the game to rest and spend time with family. However, soon that itch returned and De Gea jumped back into training. Non-league collaboration De Gea began training again at the end of August and has kept himself fit while keeping a close eye on opportunities arising.
He even sparked joking speculation that he could sign for National League club Altrincham in April but this has been rebuffed. He has instead been working with a goalkeeping coach who was recommended to him by former United coach Richard Hartis. In some of the training posts, De Gea has been spotted in his United gear which sparked rumours of a return to Old Trafford but this seems unlikely.
Away from football When he hasn't been training hard, De Gea has been working hard on his business. Esports team Rebels Gaming is co-owned by himself and former United teammates Fernandes and Juan Mata. This work has led to him returning to Manchester to collaborate with the United captain on next steps for their business.
De Gea has even taken up a new sport in Padel which has taken the celebrity world by storm in recent years. What next for De Gea? In a full circle moment, De Gea is back to being cryptic on social media. Recently, he posted an emoji of an hourglass which sparked suggestions he was about to make a move to a new club.
The Athletic understands there are no offers on the table from Spain and that De Gea has ruled out playing for another club in England. The United States is thought to be a likely location for his next team while Saudi Arabia has also been mentioned. However for now, we continue to await the 33-year-old's next move.
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