David de Gea's Manchester United teammates know inconvenient truth of his departure

It's a straightforward task on paper and yet, countless times, football clubs struggle to get it right. Not many players turn out 545 times for one club, so after all that time there is only one thing you ever want to happen: make sure it ends on the right note. Instead, David De Gea's exit from Manchester United will be remembered as a bit of a sorry mess.

And the Spaniard, regardless of his errors between the sticks over the last two years, deserved better than that. He will, forever, be in the conversation around United's greatest-ever goalkeepers. Throughout turbulent Old Trafford times, as an enormous football club punched below its weight too often, De Gea was always there - producing his fair share of magical moments.

For all those years of excellent service, though, the consensus had been that this summer was the the right time to part ways. Erik ten Hag is seeking to employ a brand of football that does not suit De Gea - and another year could've risked tarnishing the good times more than anyone would've wanted.

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Also read: United optimistic of Onana deal after De Gea exit

A swift decision at the end of the season, while De Gea still had time to truly say goodbye in person, would've closed the chapter in the ideal way. Instead, the shot-stopper was left in limbo while speculation around his successor went into overdrive online. De Gea must've imagined the day he would walk away so many times, but never like this. Supporters have called for United to be more ruthless with these kind of decisions; to do away with sentiment.

And that is a perfectly reasonable shout, but if you