Man Utd told they made huge mistake letting 'phenomenal' player go as former Red Devils striker reveals what he saw during two-month training stint

Plenty of eyebrows were raised when United parted company with Spain international De Gea. He was a four-time Player of the Year in Manchester and a man widely considered to have been a model of consistency during an era of serious underperformance by many of those donning a famous red jersey.

Having been acquired by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011, allowing him to become a Premier League title winner, De Gea took in 545 appearances for United across 12 years - placing him seventh on the club’s all-time list.

United bid farewell to De Gea as a free agent, as his contract expired, and drafted in Cameroon international Andre Onana as his replacement. That experiment did not play out as planned, with Onana now out on loan at Turkish side Trabzonspor. The expectation is that he will be offloaded in a permanent transfer this summer.

That is because Senne Lammens has offered the reliability that United need between the sticks. The 23-year-old Belgian looks like being the long-term successor to De Gea that the Red Devils have been crying out for.

Quizzed on whether United will have rued their decision to let De Gea leave, Rossi - speaking in association with talkSPORT Bet Online Slots - told GOAL: “Yeah, I think so. I went back to train with Manchester United when I was 33, 34, and David was there and that was the year, I think, that he left. After that season, he left. 

“I mean, the guy was still phenomenal. The guy was still shot-stopping everything possible. He is a legend there at Manchester United. He was also a leader in the changing room. I saw that in those two months that I was there. So, yeah, I think it was a mistake. I think they should have kept him. 

“But, you know, if you're going to make a decision like that, then you need to find the right replacement. You need to find the right people to substitute him. Did they do so? Probably not. But they found a very, very good keeper now, a young keeper that is doing phenomenal. So, I think they're on the right path.”

Rossi is not the first to suggest that United should have shown greater respect to De Gea, given all that he contributed to their collective cause down the years. Paul Parker is another former Red Devils star to have questioned the logic behind allowing a proven performer to move on.

He has previously told DAZN: “United got rid of David De Gea because his feet weren’t good enough. If De Gea had been there last year, United would have at the worst been sat comfortably in the mid-table, the amount of saves De Gea made.

“To be honest, they sh*t on De Gea, United fans. Four Player of the Seasons at United, Player of the Season at Fiorentina, that says everything. Everyone got caught up in this stupid thing that football people pushed out there about keepers being good with their feet, and football fans fell for it.”

De Gea took a year off after packing his bags at Old Trafford. A welcome break allowed his passion for the game to be rekindled, with a move to Italy being made in 2024 when linking up with Fiorentina.

His performances there, at 35 years of age, have further highlighted what United are missing. Lammens does, however, appear to have quietened the long-running goalkeeper debate in Manchester and he could find himself turning out on a Champions League stage in 2026-27 while also chasing down domestic honours.