De Gea set to return to the pitch for Fiorentina 446 days after final Man Utd appearance | OneFootball

David De Gea is expected to make his Fiorentina debut against Puskás Akadémia FC tonight, 446 days after his final appearance for Manchester United.

The Spanish goalkeeper has signed a one-year deal with an option for a further campaign at the Stadio Franchi and will make his debut with La Viola tonight in the first leg of the Conference League playoff against Puskás Akadémia.

This means he’ll play the first competitive game in 446 days, one year, two months and 19 days after his final appearance for Manchester United.

His last game for the Red Devils was the 2023 FA Cup Final against Manchester City, which Pep Guardiola’s side won 2-1.

De Gea continued training in Manchester during the last year before returning to Madrid and then joining Fiorentina.

During his unveiling press conference in Florence last week, De Gea explained that he had taken a sabbatical because he considered Manchester his home and was not ready to listen to offers from other clubs for the 2023-24 campaign.

De Gea started on the bench in Fiorentina’s opening Serie A game against Parma on Saturday.

Probable line-ups Fiorentina vs Puskás Akadémia FC

Fiorentina (3-4-2-1): De Gea; Martinez Quarta, Pongracic, Ranieri; Kayode, Amrabat, Mandragora, Biraghi; Colpani, Sottil; Kean.

Puskás Akadémia FC (4-2-3-1): Pecsi; Szolnoki, Maceiras, Stronati, Golla; Plsek, Ormonde-Otterwell; Levi, Soisalo, Nagy; Colley.