Juan Mata and David De Gea.

De Gea: It's 10 years and counting as a Red

Tuesday 10 August 2021 18:00

David De Gea has proudly represented Manchester United for 10 years, but the goalkeeper is not content with a decade: he is excited about the future and plans to win more trophies as a Red.

Last Saturday was the 10-year anniversary of the Spaniard’s debut in the 2011 Community Shield and he marked it by keeping a clean sheet in our 4-0 friendly victory over Everton at Old Trafford. 

Fittingly, David was able to celebrate his personal milestone on a day when 55,000 fans returned to his beloved Theatre of Dreams and he made a noticeable point of thanking them at full-time. 

With 441 competitive matches to his name, De Gea is 21st on the club’s all-time list and recently overtook Peter Schmeichel to become our leading overseas appearance-maker in any position.

However, while that’s all well and good, the 30-year-old does not live in the past and has spoken passionately about what lies ahead for him as a Red, in an exclusive interview.

 

As you can read below, De Gea says his confidence is high and he’s determined to grasp silverware this season. “It’s been a lot of years at the club and a great source of pride for me to have been able to play for a club like Manchester United for so many seasons now,” explains the stopper.

“But you have to live in the present, I think I still have a lot of years ahead of me at the club, I’m excited about that, feeling strong and I’m very keen to do well. I feel great in myself, high in confidence and I think it should be - and has to be - an important season for all of us.”

As many fans will remember, De Gea’s United debut was a 3-2 win over rivals Manchester City at Wembley Stadium and a match in which Sir Alex Ferguson’s Reds came from two goals down.

Joleon Lescott and Eden Dzeko had put the Blues ahead by half-time, but our lads fought back bravely in the second half thanks to Chris Smalling's goal and a brace from Nani.

“I remember that I arrived here as a kid of 20 and went straight into the United goal in a ‘Super Cup’ final at Wembley,” recalls David. “It was a very special moment. 

“But I recall we went two-nil down in the first half and then the gaffer made the three changes and in the second period we came back, with that amazing goal from Nani right at the end. 

“Our fans there were incredible. It was an unforgettable moment, and we were fortunate enough to win and start the season off on the right foot, so yes, it was a great occasion.”

De Gea admits his debut gave him a glimpse of a never-say-die attitude that is now legendary: “Yes it did. Right from the word go you get the feeling that even if you are two or three-nil down, the team will just keep fighting and maintain that intensity right to the end and can turn any game around. 

“That’s a fact and historically this club has always done this. We’ve turned lots of games around at the death, scoring the winning goal in the final seconds. That day was no different, ending with a late winner.”

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