After 12 years of being emblazoned across the back of David de Gea's shirt, 'No.1' will have a different proprietor at Manchester United this forthcoming season.
Following extensive talks between himself and the club about the prospect of signing a new deal, De Gea announced his departure from Old Trafford via social media shortly after 2:30pm on Saturday afternoon. It marked the end of an era in M16 and it will take United fans time to adjust to seeing a different face starting between the sticks every week.
Though United failed to give him the send off that he richly deserved after more than a decade of service, it feels like the perfect time for both parties to go their separate ways. Despite all he achieved in a United shirt, it never felt like he was the ideal long-term fit for Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman, for the way he wants to develop his team, wants to be able to rely on a goalkeeper that is an excellent distributor and is confident in possession. Unfortunately for De Gea, those are not his areas of expertise, hence why the Reds are now looking to tie up a deal for Inter Milan's Andre Onana.
Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN's Man United app packed with premium features? Click here.
READ MORE: United set Harry Maguire valuation
United are now at a juncture in their resurrection under Ten Hag where they want to build on the success they achieved last season and add further quality to the squad. They drafted in five permanent additions last summer to get their rebuild off the ground and they now want to take it to the next level.
United, by and large, nailed their recruitment last summer, landing the targets that Ten Hag felt would transform the club's fortunes. The captures of Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro proved their weight in gold, while Antony showed flashes of what he might be capable of with more experience.
Those additions, despite the scrutiny they attracted at the time, proved why the club needs to get behind Ten Hag and allow him to make the decisions that he believes will benefit the Reds moving forward. He has already added Mason Mount to his ranks this summer - another signing that has faced some questions - and now he wants to add Onana, who is another player that he knows from his time at Ajax.
But it isn't just in relation to incomings where Ten Hag has been supported by the club's hierarchy; he has also been backed when it comes to outgoings. For example, the Dutchman recognised that it would be hard for Zidane Iqbal and Ethan Laird to force their way into the first-team, allowing them to leave on permanent exits, whereas previously they would have been retained on the off chance of getting the odd appearance here and there.
Though the situations were different, he did the same with De Gea. He knew the goalkeeping position needed strengthening and he was ruthless enough to show the Spaniard the door.
United, in the past, have been guilty of stockpiling players, resulting in the squad becoming bloated, and failing to offload players at the right time. It was a mistake that former interim boss Ralf Rangnick identified more than two years before he arrived at Old Trafford in November 2021.
Speaking back in 2019, Rangnick said: "Since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left they were underperforming. They haven't won the title since he left.
"At any club, if you cannot get the right players, then you should at least not sign the wrong ones. You are in trouble if you do that in one or two or three consecutive transfer windows.
"Club building is about building the right squad by transferring the right players away and having more than 50 per cent success rate of bringing in the right players. Then you must have the best possible coaches to develop these players."
Rangnick's penultimate sentence is a nod to what United are now starting to do - and should continue to do this summer. In truth, several members of Ten Hag's squad have outstayed their welcome at Old Trafford and need to be moved on, both for the benefit of the club and their own careers.
Ten Hag planned to be ruthless when offloading players this summer and the exit of De Gea could be about to set the tone. The likes of Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, Brandon Williams, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial are just some of those at risk of being shown the exit door.
But as neighbours Manchester City and so many others have proven, you cannot continue to add players without letting go of others. It is a continuous cycle and Ten Hag is now encouraging United to operate in the way Rangnick, who is something of a recruitment expert, recommended they should have done several years ago.
Follow the MEN's United coverage on TikTok and YouTube, and subscribe to the Manchester is Red podcast.
