After a total of 545 appearances and 12 years later, David de Gea is no longer a Manchester United player.
The Spaniard confirmed his departure over the weekend following the expiration of his contract with the Reds. United had vowed to give the goalkeeper time to enjoy his wedding, which took place the day after his contract expired, but De Gea ultimately decided the time had come to move on.
He ends the spell as United's seventh all-time appearance maker, having been one of the only stalwarts of an ever-changing team throughout the last decade. As this chapter in his story at Old Trafford comes to an end, the question remains over how will David de Gea be remembered when he’s compared to other Manchester United and Premier League goalkeepers.
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The Manchester Evening News has taken a look back on De Gea's career at United to see how he ranks.
Appearances
One of De Gea’s biggest assets to United has been his longevity, as 415 of his appearances came in the Premier League and his total appearances outnumber any Manchester United goalkeeper.
When you consider that he’s still only 32 years old, and has played in the top flight for Athletico Madrid prior to his time in Manchester, few goalkeepers can boast the sort of longevity De Gea has had and only six 'keepers have more Premier League appearances than he does.
His impressive total sees De Gea doubling Edwin van der Sar’s 266 and is comfortably ahead of Peter Schmeichel’s 398. To find anyone who has played for United who comes close, you have to go back to the 1960s and 70s, when Alex Stepney was stopping shots for United when they won the European Cup as the first English club to do so - making just six fewer appearances than De Gea.
The number he has been able to reach says a lot about his time at United. Even though De Gea suffered difficult spells, as almost any goalkeeper does, he hasn’t been replaced for long periods of time.
His first serious challenge to the number one jersey came in the 2020/21 season when a combination of injuries and squad rotation saw him share the role with Dean Henderson for much of the campaign. This came as his goals conceded per 90 minutes nearly doubled between the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, which statistically was a noticeably poor year in his career.
But to manage nearly 10 years in one of the most highly scrutinised positions in English football is an achievement in itself, even despite his critics, and De Gea's final appearance total reflects that.
Trophies
Due to the timing of De Gea's United career, he cannot compete with other legends for trophies won.
Stepney, Van der Sar and Schmeichel were each stood in goal as United won the Champions League (or European Cup in Stepney's case). De Gea only reached the Quarter-Finals back in 2014, where United lost to Bayern Munich 4-2 on aggregate, although he did taste Europa League glory three years later.
That was one of four major trophies he won, with another one of those coming in the Premier League during the 2012/13 season. He played a key role in his only title-winning season, earning him a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
This achievement is also eclipsed somewhat by the likes of Schmeichel, who won five Premier League titles, and by Ederson, who also has five in a shorter time at Manchester City.
Peter Schmeichel also has a major international trophy to boast too, and not only that, he was arguably one of Denmark’s best players at Euro 1992, leading them to victory.
Individual honours
Individually, De Gea is one of only two players to have more than two Player of the Season awards at United, winning four between 2014 and 2018. The only other player with four needs no comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo.
While this is impressive, it also came during United’s quieter years during the initial post-Ferguson era. The likes of Schmeichel, especially, was taking these individual accolades at a time when he was lifting major silverware too, something which can’t be said of United’s most recent number one.
And what may damage the way De Gea is remembered, are the final years of his Manchester United career.
He has often been criticized by pundits and fans alike for his performances, although there aren’t many players who haven’t come under similar scrutiny at United in recent years. In the end, the mistakes of recent years might just pale into insignificance over time, as tends to happen, especially with goalkeepers.
De Gea will be remembered as a great servant to United who, over his long spell at the club, saved them more points than he cost them. However, his legacy won’t quite be put alongside the likes of Schmeichel in the hearts of fans, although it can be argued that David de Gea was unlucky at times with the players he ended up playing alongside.
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