'Made in Manchester, loving it in Italy' - Inside story of David de Gea's Fiorentina renaissance

After a year completely out of the game, David de Gea's star is on the rise again since joining Italian side Fiorentina.

There were doubts the Spanish international would ever play again the longer his absence from football continued following his departure from Manchester United last summer.

De Gea left Old Trafford in the summer of 2023 after 12 years at the club, which saw him win eight major trophies, two Premier League Golden Glove awards and named in the PFA Team of the Year on six occasions.

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But he did not sign new terms at the end of the 2022/23 campaign and left the club on a free transfer. While United replaced him with Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, De Gea's quest for a new club was more difficult.

Despite links with a return to Spain and a move to the Saudi Pro League, the summer transfer window ended without him finding new employment.

Links with Newcastle and Real Madrid followed ahead of the January transfer window after respective injuries to Nick Pope and Thibaut Courtois but neither move materialised.

A year passed and with De Gea still without a club, Fiorentina decided to take a punt in the summer and offered the 34-year-old a one year deal with an option for another.

"Despite the year out of the game, he is obviously a massive name in the game," Italian football expert Alasdair Mackenzie told the Manchester Evening News, when asked about the reaction to the move in Italy.

"I think there was a level of excitement about it but obviously laced with an awareness that it is a different kind of transfer.

"They weren't