De Gea had gone off by then, replaced before the final whistle. He was given a standing ovation, echoing the reception he got when he came out for the warm-up and again at the start of the game, by an Old Trafford crowd in excess of 60,000.
It was the chance to say goodbye he had not been afforded in 2023.
“It’s a game I’ll never forget, for sure,” said the 34-year-old.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to describe with words how you feel on the pitch, seeing the crowd, with everybody there. It was so emotional for me.”
De Gea was complimentary about his old club, saying “you can’t control everything” about the manner of his departure.
There was unhappiness, though. The perceived wisdom is merely that De Gea’s kicking ability was not at the standard Ten Hag required.
Yet, in a similar situation two years ago, Onana played the ball out from the back in a pre-season match against Lens, only for Diogo Dalot to immediately give the ball away.
Onana was out of his box as the ball sailed over his head and into the net from about 50 yards.
Kicking the ball is just part of a goalkeeper’s armoury. De Gea’s former United team-mate Nemanja Matic offered his own insight into the depth of feeling the former Spain international’s departure caused, before a European game against Lyon in April.
“If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history, you need to take care what you’re talking about,” said Matic, in response to Onana’s claim they “should” beat Lyon, which they did – but only after a stunning extra-time comeback.
“If it was [Edwin] Van der Sar, [Peter] Schmeichel or [David] De Gea saying that, then I would question myself. But you need to have cover to say something like that.”
