- Crystal Palace face Fiorentina
- David de Gea returns to England
- Brennan Johnson lauds ex-Manchester United goalkeeper
Crystal Palace attacker Brennan Johnson has highlighted former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea as one of Fiorentina’s ‘main strengths.’ The Spanish shot-stopper will make his first appearance against English opposition for the first time since leaving Old Trafford.
De Gea was United’s number one for 12 years and became one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers. He won the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge and despite the Red Devils’ nosedive over the years that followed, continued to make history.
The 35-year-old broke Peter Schmeichel’s clean sheet record and ended up keeping 190 in 545 games. A controversial departure saw a verbally agreed contract taken away from him in the summer of 2023.
Brennan Johnson Wary of ‘Top Notch’ De Gea
De Gea took a year out of the game before returning to football by making a surprise move to Fiorentina in August 2024. He’s since become one of the club’s most important players in Serie A and is currently its captain.
Brennan Johnson faced De Gea during his time at United and he’s well aware of the challenge that Palace face trying to beat the Spaniard. The Eagles attacker spoke glowingly of the veteran goalkeeper ahead of the clash between the two sides (via Fiorentina News):
“De Gea? He’s a top-notch goalkeeper, with great experience, and he’s certainly one of Fiorentina ‘s main strengths.”
Fiorentina are enduring a difficult season in the Italian top-flight, currently 15th, five points above the drop zone. But De Gea has been reliable between the sticks, keeping six clean sheets in 31 games.
When it comes to the Conference League, De Gea has again been vital for Paolo Vanoli’s side. He’s kept two clean sheets in five games and was superb in their 4-2 win over Rakow in the Round of 16.
Rivalry Renewed
De Gea will meet a familiar face in Dean Henderson when he faces Palace. The pair were teammates at Old Trafford and many assumed Henderson would be the Spaniard’s long-term replacement.
That looked likely when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turned to the English goalkeeper during the 2020-21 campaign. De Gea was sidelined with an injury, but even when he returned, Henderson still looked set for the number one shirt.
The situation changed and De Gea reclaimed his place between the sticks but faltered in a Europa League final loss to Villarreal. Henderson’s frustrations with his game time led to a loan move to Nottingham Forest in the 2022-23 season, before he headed to Selhurst Park that summer.
Henderson joined Palace for £20m, and that fee has been a bargain for the South Londoners. He was a key man in last season’s FA Cup triumph, saving Omar Marmoush’s penalty in a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final.
