Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea officially joins Fiorentina as a free agent after taking a sabbatical for a year.
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De Gea signs with Fiorentina
The 33-year-old signed a one-year deal with an option to extend it for another season.
De Gea was released by United in the summer of 2023 after spending 12 years at Old Trafford.
He spent a year without a team, although he received a lot of offers during his sabbatical.
De Gea admitted he struggled after his departure from Manchester, but he insisted that he will forever be grateful to his old club.
“United is a top, top club and my heart will always be there. I never thought about retiring, it was just difficult to find motivations for a new chapter after 12 years at a top club like Man United. And I finally felt that at Fiorentina,” he said.
“I spent a year in Manchester before returning to Madrid. I wanted to stay at a high level, and I didn’t stop. It’s not easy to train alone. I spent two years in Manchester, it’s my home. That’s where my heart is set.”
“It was difficult for me to find motivation to evaluate offers, so I decided to take a sabbatical. I am fit, I trained every day, even more than before. I am on a good level. Perhaps it will take some time in the first games, but I’ve been playing for many years, so you just need to put me in goal.”
Happy to suit up in Fiorentina
De Gea chose to sign with Fiorentina, ending his year-long sabbatical.
The Spaniard keeper said he can’t wait to represent Fiorentina.
“I am proud to wear the Viola shirt and to represent Florence. Thank you all. I want to thank the technical staff. It was a different year than usual. I decided to take a sabbatical, but I continued training alone,” he said.
“I had to be at my best, and when Fiorentina arrived, I had clear ideas. They have great fans and a great history. It was an easy decision; I didn’t want to retire. Fiorentina have had great players and goalkeepers.”
