David de Gea sends message to former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini after retirement

Former Man Utd goalkeeper David de Gea was among the Belgian's ex-teammates to wish him well ahead of his next sporting chapter

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and midfielder Ander Herrera are among Marouane Fellaini's ex-teammates to send well wishes after the Belgian announced his retirement from football.

Fellaini became the first signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era when he joined the club from Everton for £27.5m. He would go on to make 177 appearances for the Reds, scoring 22 goals and grabbing 12 assists.

The Belgian stayed at Old Trafford until 2019 when he made the move to the Chinese club Shandong Taishan. In an Instagram post announcing his retirement, Fellaini wrote: "What an incredible journey it has been!

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"I am so grateful to have played the sport I love at the highest level. I am proud to have represented Standard in Belgium, Everton and Manchester United in the UK, and Shandong Taishan in China.

"It was an honour to have played for the Belgian national team at the Olympics of 2008, Euro 2016 and the World Cups of 2014 and 2018. I have played in front of the best fans in the world, and I want to take this moment to thank all of them for their unwavering support throughout my career. Your encouragement and passion have been a constant source of inspiration for me."

Following the news of his retirement, some of his former United teammates sent messages of good will to the midfielder. De Gea wrote: "Enjoy life brother," while Herrera added: "Congratulations amigo and all the best for your next chapter."

Jesse Lingard posted: "What a guy, enjoy big bro," and Phil Neville sent: "Congratulations Felli."