Many were surprised when Manchester United said goodbye to Spain international De Gea. He was four times Player of the Year at Manchester and was considered by many to be a model of consistency in an era of underperformance by many of those who wore the famous red shirt.

Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011, which enabled him to win the Premier League, De Gea played 545 games for United over 12 years, which places him seventh on the club’s all-time list.

United parted ways with De Gea as a free agent when his contract expired and signed Cameroon international Andre Onana as his replacement. That experiment didn’t go as planned, and Onana is now on loan at Turkish club Trabzonspor. He is expected to be sold permanently this summer.

That is because Senne Lammens has shown the reliability United need in goal. The 23-year-old Belgian looks to be the long-term successor to De Gea that the Red Devils were waiting for.

When asked if United would have regretted their decision to let De Gea go, Rossi, speaking to talkSPORT Bet Online Slots, said: “Yes, I think so. I went back to train with Manchester United when I was 33 or 34, and David was there, and I think that was the year he left. After that season, he went.

“I mean, the guy was still phenomenal. He was still saving every shot possible. He’s a legend at Manchester United. He was also a leader in the dressing room. I saw that in the two months I was there. So yes, I think it was a mistake. I think they should have kept him.

“But you know, if you’re going to decide that, then you have to find the right replacement. You have to find the right people to replace him. Did they? Probably not. But now they’ve found a very, very good goalkeeper, a young goalkeeper who is doing phenomenally. So I think they’re on the right track.”

Rossi is not the first to suggest United should have shown more respect toward De Gea, given everything he has brought to the team over the years. Paul Parker is another former Red Devils star who has questioned the logic of allowing a proven performer to leave.

He 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 finished, at worst, comfortably mid-table, given the number of saves De Gea made.

“To be honest, United fans have s--- on De Gea. Four-time United Player of the Year, Player of the Year at Fiorentina; that says it all. Everyone got carried away with that nonsense footballers spread about goalkeepers needing to be good with their feet, and football fans bought it.”

De Gea took a year off after packing his bags at Old Trafford. That well-earned rest allowed him to reignite his passion for football, and in 2024, he signed for Italy’s Fiorentina.

His performances there, at 35, have further highlighted what United are missing. However, Lammens appears to have silenced the prolonged debate about goalkeepers in Manchester and could find himself playing in the Champions League in 2026/27, while chasing domestic titles.

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