The curtain has fallen on David de Gea’s goalkeeping career at the Manchester United as he departed the club on Saturday.
That brought to an end his 12-year stay at Old Trafford. He was the last remaing playing member of the Sir Alex Ferguson regime and the last player at the club who had won a Premier League title with Manchester United.
The departure has been sudden, with no chance for a testimonial match for the 32-year old. De Gea will be missed by his teammates, but his absence provides an opportunity for someone else to step in and establish themselves as leaders in the dressing room.
His departure also means there is now a new longest-serving player at the club, one who remains integral to Ten Hag’s plans heading into the next season.
Luke Shaw will celebrate a decade at United next summer, having joined the club all the way back in 2014 as Louis van Gaal’s second signing.
The 27-year-old has been at the club longer than any other teammate and looks set to stay there for the foreseeable future after signing a new long-term contract back in April. It means he could have been at the club for 13 years by the time his deal expires in June 2027.
Anthony Martial is the second longest-serving, having arrived in 2015, with Marcus Rashford the third-longest after making his breakthrough during the same campaign.
Eric Bailly is the fourth-longest serving player after arriving in the 2016 summer transfer window, while a year later Scott McTominay broke into the first team.
It means United could lose a few more experienced players this summer, with Bailly set to leave while the club considers offers for both Martial and McTominay.
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