'Made in Manchester, loving it in Italy' - Inside story of David de Gea's Fiorentina renaissance

The former Manchester United goalkeeper is loving life in Italy after taking a year out of the game

After a year completely out of the game, David de Gea's star is on the rise again since joining Italian side Fiorentina.

There were doubts the Spanish international would ever play again the longer his absence from football continued following his departure from Manchester United last summer.

De Gea left Old Trafford in the summer of 2023 after 12 years at the club, which saw him win eight major trophies, two Premier League Golden Glove awards and named in the PFA Team of the Year on six occasions.

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But he did not sign new terms at the end of the 2022/23 campaign and left the club on a free transfer. While United replaced him with Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, De Gea's quest for a new club was more difficult.

Despite links with a return to Spain and a move to the Saudi Pro League, the summer transfer window ended without him finding new employment.

Links with Newcastle and Real Madrid followed ahead of the January transfer window after respective injuries to Nick Pope and Thibaut Courtois but neither move materialised.

A year passed and with De Gea still without a club, Fiorentina decided to take a punt in the summer and offered the 34-year-old a one year deal with an option for another.

"Despite the year out of the game, he is obviously a massive name in the game," Italian football expert Alasdair Mackenzie told the Manchester Evening News, when asked about the reaction to the move in Italy.

"I think there was a level of excitement about it but obviously laced with an awareness that it is a different kind of transfer.

"They weren't signing someone who has just been the United number one. They were signing someone who has had a year out of the game. There was uncertainty around what they were going to get.

"They had quite a lot of change this summer in general. That uncertainty wasn't just about De Gea arriving. They had a new coach who brought a whole load of new players. De Gea was part of a general change of the guard in the summer.

"But there was excitement because of what he had achieved in his career and it was also a position they needed to strengthen for years to be honest because it has been a while since they had a really top class goalkeeper so it was long overdue them getting someone of that calibre in."

But amid the uncertainty, De Gea's start to life in Florence couldn't have gone better. After an initial bedding in period, he has now asserted himself as the club's number one goalkeeper.

And Fiorentina, despite losing popular manager Vincenzo Italiano in the summer, have lost just one of their opening 12 Serie A matches and are currently sat in third place in the league table, just one point adrift of leaders Napoli.

De Gea has been integral to that success and even set up one of Moise Kean's goals in their 3-1 win over Hellas Verona last time out.

The fans have quickly taken him to their hearts and De Gea has rediscovered his love for football at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

"It has been hugely successful," Mackenzie added when asked about De Gea's start to life at Fiorentina.

"They have taken everyone by surprise. They are a club who have often had purple patches but never really been able to do it consistently in a league season.

"But the way they have started this year has really got people very excited about what the future might hold under Paladino.

"In terms of De Gea's impact, he was in and out of the team as he got up to speed but by now he has taken that spot and made it his own.

"He has been playing really well and even got an assist for one of Moise Kean's goals last weekend. He is really embracing the decision he has made.

"It must seem fantastic to him because he has come into the club at a really good time and optimism is really high.

"He has settled down into it. He has not been wanting to give interviews and speak to the media and seems to be just focusing on getting himself back to where he used to be.

"He put out a tweet a few weeks saying born in Spain, made in Manchester, loving life in Italy. I think that pretty much sums it up to be honest."

The question now is whether De Gea continues with the stability of his Italian love affair or aims higher now his name, and impressive performances, are very much back in the public glare.

After all, this is a goalkeeper who was courted by Real Madrid for years and is the same age as Edwin Van Der Sar was when he joined United back in 2005.

"It is hard to know where he's at but he is playing well, the team is playing good football and he is back to playing towards his best," Mackenzie concluded.

"You would probably think he'd want to continue where he is. He will probably recognise and appreciate the situation he is in after a year out of the game.

"But I am sure there would be interest in him given he has a one-year deal and he is playing like this but he seems to be in the right place at the right time as Fiorentina are quite ambitious in what they are wanting to achieve.

"They will be really trying to convince him to stay there and it would take a big club or a big offer to take him away from that."