When David de Gea’s name was absent from Manchester United's starting XI against Crystal Palace, the rumour mill went into overdrive.
Criticised for performances in recent weeks, some believed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had finally made the decision to drop him to the bench in place of Dean Henderson.
That notion was quickly dismissed with the United boss confirming the Spaniard was out for a ‘personal reason’.
The player himself has since cleared that up with De Gea posting a message on social media earlier this week announcing the birth of his child in Spain.
Of course, due to the current quarantine rules in place, the ‘keeper is now set to miss a number of fixtures as the Red Devils look to keep their ever-decreasing title hopes alive.
But Solskjaer’s public support for the player was strong, claiming the club were fully behind his decision to be with his partner.
“It’s a fantastic day for David, of course. When you become a dad it’s possibly the best feeling you can have,” Solskjaer said during his pre-match conference ahead of the Manchester derby.
“Those who are lucky enough to have had that feeling know exactly what David is going through now. We’ll give him the time he needs before he comes back.
“He asked to go home and in the old world it’s a day and you go and you’re ready again. With the pandemic and the quarantines, it’s a different world.
“Still, we felt when David wanted to be there to support his girlfriend that’s not even a decision to make.”
Many will feel Solskjaer’s treatment is undoubtedly the correct thing to do and offers a clear glimpse as to why the spirit in the United dressing room seems so strong.
Compare that to the final days of his predecessor Jose Mourinho and the contrast could barely be more stark.
Before the Portuguese’s dismissal in 2018, there were claims he had lost that same dressing room, with players no longer playing for him.
Mourinho’s publicly confrontational style has long been criticised and his treatment of Anthony Martial, just months before his departure, serve as a reminder of the difference between the two regimes.
The Frenchman was slammed back in that summer after he left a pre-season tour of the United States to be present at the birth of his second child.
Just three days after the birth, the then United boss said: “Anthony Martial has the baby and after the baby is born – beautiful baby, full of health, thank God – he should be here and he is not here.”
Martial was ultimately fined for his decision to go to Paris, with Mourinho making it clear he wasn't party to the journey.
“I found out that Martial was going to Paris when he told me.
"When it is personal reasons, everyone analyses that the way he thinks is the correct way. When a man is going to be a father — in this case, it's the second time he is going to be a father — and he decides it is very important for him to go, nobody has the right to stop him to go."
Ed Woodward has once again backed his manager this week and his public support of De Gea at a time of immense personal importance, will go a long way to securing the support of his players.
