Manchester United superstar David de Gea has broken his silence after missing the penalty that led to the Red Devils losing the Europa League final shootout against Villarreal.
De Gea stepped up and missed after counterpart Geronimo Rulli stuck the ball into the net as the keepers were tasked with spot-kicks following 20 converted penalties from every outfielder.
The 30-year-old, who has recently lost the No.1 spot to talented academy graduate Dean Henderson, has now taken to social media to send out a message following the defeat.
De Gea started his post with a philosophic ‘to fall and rise’ before insisting that he will ‘learn from the experience, fight again and win’.
Finally, the Spaniard thanked the fans for their support and a quick trawl through the comments show the respect he’s received from the majority of the fanbase, which is lovely to see at such a low point.
To fall and rise. Learn from the experience, fight again and win. @ManUtd Thanks for your support pic.twitter.com/4AnLNGRA9A
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) May 27, 2021
Whilst the fault of the defeat will technically lie with De Gea, it’s clear that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made some massive lineup and substitutions mistakes and the team themselves were below-par.
One decision from Solskjaer that could’ve massively improved United’s chances of winning was actually leaving Dean Henderson on the bench for De Gea.
The Norwegian made changes with the penalty shootout in mind but didn’t call on a stopper who is fine in thwarting attackers from the spot, whereas De Gea has always struggled.
It’s wonderful to see that the picture De Gea attached to the post is his reunion with Sir Alex Ferguson after the medal ceremony, the man who signed him for United a decade ago.
The Athletic reported earlier today that Ferguson purposefully waited for his old No.1 after the second place medals were handed out, with the United legend walking down the tunnel with De Gea.
De Gea selecting that particular image from the night shows that he really cherishes the comfort Ferguson provided him after a heartbreaking moment to end an already frustrating season.