Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Bruno Fernandes and Ander Herrera respond to David de Gea's Manchester United anniversary

Saturday's 4-0 pre-season friendly rout over Everton marked the tenth anniversary of David de Gea making his Manchester United debut.

Signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for almost £20million, De Gea made his United debut in the club's 3-2 comeback win over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at Wembley.

Despite finding themselves 2-0 down at the interval, United fought back in the second half and turned the game on its head thanks to a goal from Chris Smalling and a brace from Nani, who netted the winner deep into stoppage time, ensuring that De Gea marked his United debut with silverware.

Exactly ten years on from that eventful Wembley afternoon, De Gea marked his first significant anniversary at Old Trafford with another victory, albeit in much more low-key circumstances.

The Spaniard played the full 90 minutes of the contest as goals from Mason Greenwood, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot sealed a comfortable win for the Reds, ensuring they ended their pre-season preparations on a high.

For De Gea, he reacted by taking to Instagram to issue a message and react to his special anniversary.

He said: "10 years ago today I debuted at @manchesterunited. Today I enjoyed the beginning of my 11th season at Old Trafford as a Red Devil. Let's keep rocking."

His post triggered responses from United supporters, as well as from two people who know what it is like to play alongside him, with both United midfielder Fernandes and compatriot Ander Herrera sending him messages.

Fernandes said: "Absolutely legend" with the raised hands and love heart emojis.

Herrera, meanwhile, posted: "F****** legend," also accompanying it with the raised hands emoji.

This season promises to be a big one in De Gea's United career, with Dean Henderson, who is still recovering from coronavirus, looking to challenge him for the number one spot.

The Spaniard made 36 appearances in all competitions for United last season whilst Henderson played on 26 occasions.

In total, De Gea has made 441 competitive appearances for United, racking up a total of 155 clean sheets.

--

Do you want an exclusive pre-season United preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy!

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.