David de Gea 'suffering' at Fiorentina as ex-Man Utd star tries to reignite career in Italy

The Spaniard bid farewell to Manchester United in the summer of 2023 following 12 years at Old Trafford. The 33-year-old ended a 14-month spell without a side when signing for Fiorentina this summer but it has been a mixed return to the sport for the 6ft 4in stopper. Now, ex-Genoa keeper Rubinho has given his verdict on the ex-United man's opening salvos 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.”

De Gea has made five appearances in all competitions this season, keeping one clean sheet along the way. However, fellow keeper Pietro Terracciano has also featured in goal for Raffaele Palladino's side this term, with the manager saying it is an open fight for the number one jersey.

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."

Ultimately, De Gea may be a bit rusty after such a long time away from playing at the top of the game.

De Gea will hope to be in between the sticks for his Fiorentina side when they host The New Saints in their Europa Conference League opener on Thursday night. If not then, the ex-United ace could feature at home to AC Milan on Sunday night in Serie A.