"I’d bring him back" - Ex-player tells Ruben Amorim to bring back Manchester United star let go by Erik ten Hag to solve key issue

Manchester United defender Clayton Blackmore has urged Ruben Amorim to bring back David De Gea to replace Andre Onana in goal. He believes that the Spaniard was better than Peter Schmeichel and Neville Southall, though he made a few mistakes towards the end of his career at Old Trafford.

Speaking to AceOdds, Blackmore said that De Gea was chased out of Manchester United by Erik ten Hag because he wanted to bring in his former player Andre Onana. The former player now wants Amorim to reverse the decision and sell the former Ajax star to make space for the Spaniard, and said:

"If possible United should bring back de Gea. I'd bring him back. I played with Peter Schmeichel and Neville Southall and I think de Gea is the best I've seen. Towards the end, he was making more mistakes but United were declining as a team and he had to do more work. When you're forced to do more work you make more mistakes."

"United pushed him out because he wasn't good with the ball at his feet but his passing when he's not under pressure was good. I had no problems with de Gea. Ten Hag wanted him out and wanted to bring his own man in and I think it was a mistake. He won the golden glove that year and had 15 clean sheets. Why would you get rid of him?"

David De Gea took a year's break in 2023 after he was let go by Manchester United, following the expiry of his contract. He joined Fiorentina in 2024 and helped them reach the UEFA Conference League semifinal last season.

Former Manchester United star believes De Gea is better than Andre Onana

Lee Sharpe also spoke about Andre Onana earlier this summer and claimed that Manchester United needed to upgrade on the goalkeeper, but it was not a priority. He added that the decision to let David De Gea leave was still a surprise and told AceOdds:

"I think the goalkeeping area is a questionable one. Is it a priority? No. But if the opportunity comes along to upgrade and get a few quid for Onana then I think it's something they'll look at. I'm still surprised they let David de Gea go. I know his last two seasons weren't great but I still think they were better than what Onana has been. He pulls off good saves but then he lets in school boy error goals."

David De Gea played 545 games for Manchester United, keeping a clean sheet 190 times. He won the Premier League, Europa League, and the FA Cup once in his career at Old Trafford, along with two League Cups and three FA Community Shields. He was also the Premier League Golden Glove winner in 2 seasons - 2017/18 and 2022/23.