A former Juventus goalkeeper believes David de Gea is “struggling” at his new club, Fiorentina, after spending over a year away from first-team action.
The Spanish shot-stopper parted ways with Manchester United in the summer of 2023, bringing an end to his 12-year stint at Old Trafford.
After 14 months without a club, the 33-year-old joined Fiorentina this summer, but his return to football has been challenging. Now, former Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho has shared his thoughts on de Gea’s early performances with La Viola.
Rubinho told Radio Firenze Viola after a 0-0 draw with Empoli: “De Gea is still suffering from having been out for more than a year. But he has already helped Fiorentina a lot in these first games.
I think he can only grow further and show everyone the qualities he has. He is a top goalkeeper, and seeing him defend Fiorentina’s goal reminds me of when there were the likes of [Francesco] Toldo and [Sebastien] Frey.”
David de Gea has featured in five matches across all competitions this season, managing to secure one clean sheet so far.
Despite his involvement, teammate Pietro Terracciano has also had game time in goal for Raffaele Palladino’s squad, with the coach indicating that the competition for the starting goalkeeper position remains wide open.
He said in September: “There isn’t a hierarchy right now. I wanted to see De Gea and Terracciano to understand. I am happy with both. David hadn’t played for a year, so I preferred Terracciano. We’ll evaluate a few things in the coming days.”
After a lengthy absence from top-tier football, De Gea may be experiencing some rustiness. He will be aiming to secure a starting spot for Fiorentina when they face The New Saints in their Europa Conference League opener on Thursday evening.
If he doesn’t feature in that match, the former Manchester United goalkeeper could see action against AC Milan in their Serie A clash on Sunday night.