De Gea 'got battered' on arrival but survived nine Man United managers to become a legend

So out of place did De Gea look in his opening season at Manchester United that it was fully plausible he was going to lose out to his Danish deputy.

Signed from Atletico Madrid on June 29, 2011 in a British record £18.9million deal for a goalkeeper, De Gea may not have realised he was taking on one of the most high-pressure jobs in the Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson, a master of the transfer market, always had a blindspot with goalkeepers, with a number of high-profile and costly misses between the Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar eras.

Keen to avoid a repeat when the latter retired in 2011, breaking the bank for De Gea was a risky call, and one that looked like it may not pay off.

Arriving at the club bearded, lanky and wide-eyed, De Gea is almost recognisable from the man who filled the net at Old Trafford last season.

read more de gea

Man United expect to complete Andre Onana deal in days after David de Gea decision

David de Gea announces Manchester United exit after failing to agree new contract

Errors plagued his competitive debut in the Community Shield against Manchester City, but his teammates made up for them with a 3-2 win, but when there was a repeat against West Brom in the league opener next time out, questions began being asked.

Ferguson answered them in trademark fashion, with deflection to take the blame off of his new no.1.

"They battered him in the second half and the referee should have protected him more," he said. "But welcome to English football."

Asked how he would deal with De Gea's issues, he simply replied: "Pat him on the head. It's a learning process."

Most read in Football

England U21 1-0 Spain U21 LIVE REACTION: Young Lions win U21 Euros after Trafford heroics

De Gea leaves Man United, Chelsea agree to sell Pulisic, Rice and Timber to Arsenal latest

Ashley Cole sent off as England goals sparks melee between benches during U21 Euros final

Man United transfer news LIVE: De Gea exit confirmed, £45m Onana deal imminent, Kane swap

Even Wayne Rooney was forced to come to the Madrid native's defence, saying: "He is a strong character. After the Manchester City game, and then West Brom he didn't seem to be affected.

"He was on the training pitch the next day, working hard. The last couple of games he's done well for us and he will only get better the more he plays."

However, De Gea did trade time with Lindegaard and spent 13 of his first 32 games for the Red Devils on the bench wondering where to improve, which he finally got the hang of in January, and helped the club compete for the title.

Losing out on the final day to Manchester City and Sergio Aguero's iconic goal made sure that De Gea's improvements were too little too late, but it clearly brought the Spaniard to life.

He finally made the job his own the next season, getting revenge by winning the title and arriving in the national team squad, and soon the rewards came flooding in.

He made the Premier League Team of the Year for 2012/13, and then four consecutive seasons from 2014/15, a record for a goalkeeper in the division.

De Gea also began sweeping up the club awards, being named Manchester United's Players' Player of the Year a record four times, and sharing the record with Cristiano Ronaldo for the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year.

He has been a constant through nine different managers, winning eight different trophies, and put in a record 14-save performance against Arsenal in 2017 that will live long in the memory.

All of that could have been cut short when a dodgy fax machine reportedly cost him a move to Real Madrid in 2015 when documents for the blockbuster deal failed to be sent in time.

Eight years on and De Gea ended up being club's longest serving player during the 2022/23 season and even passed Schmeichel's clean sheet record.

Like in his first campaign under Ferguson, his debut season under Erik ten Hag didn't quite go to plan, with error-strewn opening matches against Brighton and Brentford as he struggled to get used to passing football.

De Gea survived nine United managers in total, but failure to adapt to Ten Hag's 'play-out-from-the-back' philosophy appeared to signal the end.

Despite all his efforts for more than a decade, United allowed his contract to expire on June 30 and left their legendary goalkeeper in limbo for a week.

Ultimately, a new deal was not agreed and the Red Devils are set to sign Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana in a £45m deal.

The Red Devils hailed De Gea as 'forever a United legend' as they announced his departure, bringing his 12-year United career to a close after 545 appearances and 190 clean sheets - both club records for a goalkeeper.

Read More on talkSPORT

I'm a Wimbledon champion, now I'm marrying a fan who stopped me for a selfie

Laura Woods confirms her next job following teary talkSPORT departure

He lifted the Premier League title in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge, also winning one FA Cup, two EFL Cups and the Europa League, and collected numerous individual prizes including two Premier League Golden Gloves and eight United Player of the Year awards.

His legendary status cannot be doubted, the only question is whether United treated him like one.