David de Gea was the reason Sir Alex Ferguson broke one of his strict rules at Manchester United over a decade ago.
Ferguson managed 1,500 United games in 26 years, finishing with a 59.7% win ratio and 13 Premier League titles.
But he actually missed three matches in that time for key reasons. One was so he could attend his son’s wedding was on the same day of the Manchester derby against rivals City at Maine Road in 2000, with another for his brother’s wife’s funeral.
His third and final omission came in October 2010 when United played Scunthorpe in a League Cup tie.
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United won 5-2 at Glanford Park, with Mike Phelan taking charge of the Red Devils.
Ferguson was over in Spain to watch Valencia take on Atletico Madrid. And he was only there for one reason, to scout then 19-year-old goalkeeper De Gea.
“I can only remember Sir Alex Ferguson missing two United matches,” former goalkeeping coach Eric Steele told the Daily Mail.
“He missed a Manchester derby in 2000 for his son’s wedding. The other time? To scout the brilliant David de Gea.
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“I joined United in 2008 and, from that moment, we needed to be ready for the day Edwin Van Der Sar retired.
“I was convinced that a 19-year-old De Gea was the right man to replace him. I showed a three-minute DVD compilation to Sir Alex and then we went to watch him play for Atletico Madrid at Valencia on the night United played Scunthorpe in the League Cup.
“Sir Alex knew he was the right signing inside 65 minutes. David showed composure, concentration and reflexes. He made one terrific save that went through a load of bodies.”
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Ferguson selected him as his Van der Sar replacement and £19 million deal was completed in 2011.
Though he struggled at first, De Gea ultimately went on to prove his worth - winning the club's Player of the Year award on four occasions and breaking the record for the most clean sheets in United's history with 190.
He left United on a free last summer after a 12-year run, with Erik ten Hag electing to replace him with Andre Onana.
After a year out, the former Spain international has returned to football with Serie A side Fiorentina and played five times.
Topics: David De Gea, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson
Josh Lawless