In David de Gea‘s case, that seems to have happened as he has found his love for the game, and the form to go with it, in just the second game for Fiorentina.
De Gea joined the Italians after a full season out of the game so there were understandable question marks over his ability to return to top form.
After the first game for them, in which Fiorentina conceded three goals, and he was then moved to the bench for their next fixture in the league, the noise wasn’t quietening.
Until now, when he has dropped a 10/10 masterclass for Fiorentina in just his second game for them, doing something he rarely did for Manchester United.
David de Gea masterclass
United fans got used to De Gea going superhuman mode when the team was in trouble, as he was at his best when he kept busy.
His moments of mistakes came when he didn’t have much to do then was suddenly asked to make a save or play the ball from the back.
The stars aligned for the Spaniard in the second leg of the Europa Conference League Playoff against Puskas Akademia.
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Fiorentina were reduced to nine men in the injury time of the second half and with the tie finely poised at 2-2 on aggregate, he went superhuman mode.
He finished the game with eight saves, six of which were inside the box but his crowning moment came after the regular time was over.
United fans could be forgiven for thinking about the Europa League final vs Villarreal as De Gea stepped and up saved the fourth penalty from the opponents to send Fiorentina through to the Europa Conference League.
That day, De Gea not only failed to save any kicks, but he missed one of his own to leave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side trophyless.
Resurgence at Fiorentina?
While this performance will do no harm to his prospects of becoming Fiorentina’s No. 1, it is perhaps too soon to declare this his resurgence.
That is because United fans are well familiar with his pattern of following up a great display with an inexplicable error in the next moment.
It is worth noting that De Gea left United at the end of Erik ten Hag‘s first season as the Golden Glove winner so he was clearly not a spent force.
However, it was the increasing number of errors creeping up in his game that could decide the result, plus his lack of ball-playing ability which forced United into a ruthless decision.
There’s also a reason why he didn’t have a club for a full season and when he did, it is undoubtedly at a club that is a step below the elites.
United fans will be most delighted if he manages to convert this brilliant start into a sustainable spell of positive contribution otherwise his odd human highlight reel matches were a common occurrence at Old Trafford as well.
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