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Why Man United are weighing up bringing David De Gea back to Old Trafford

Manchester United's defeat at the hands of Arsenal won't necessarily have been a surprise to many, even if the Red Devils were the team mostly on the front foot throughout.

Nor will there have been raised eyebrows at yet another goalkeeping howler, this time from Altay Bayindir.

With little command of his box as Declan Rice arrowed in a 13th-minute corner, he flapped at the ball, allowing Ricardo Calafiori the easiest of chances to put the Gunners in the lead.

Galling for the Turkish international in only his fifth Premier League appearance, but just as galling for Ruben Amorim, who had dropped Andre Onana from the season opener.

Ever since the Cameroonian had joined United he'd provided ample footage for a devastatingly bad highlights reel, making Erik ten Hag's judgment to bring him in at the expense of David De Gea an odd one to say the least.

Man United courting David de GeaThings could be about to turn full circle with the news that Amorim is courting De Gea regarding a return to the Theatre of Dreams (though the Theatre of Nightmares might be more apt of late).

The 34-year-old Spaniard has been plying his trade with Fiorentina in Serie A, and last season had a save percentage in the Italian top flight of 72.

1% from 98 saves made.

Onana's 66.

9% from 90 saves isn't as good, whilst Bayindir's sample size is just eight saves but with an appalling 44.

4% percentage.

David De Gea's Stats for Fiorentina in Serie A 2024/25BetopickOf the three penalties De Gea has faced he's saved two, and 12 successful sweeper keepings from 13 attempted give him a 92.

3% rating.

Onana's 100 percent sweeper keepings (10 from 10) can't be bettered, though penalties are not his forte having only saved one from four in 2024/25.

Altay Bayindir Stats vs ArsenalOpta by Stats PerformIn terms of passing accuracy, United's No.

1 finalised 813 passes from 1165 attempted in the Premier League last season (69.

8%) whilst De Gea played less overall passes (998) but finalised 703 for a slightly higher 70.

4% stat.

Bayindir's 80 passes from 140 attempted saw a 57.

1% return.

Defensively, the former United keeper also takes the plaudits with his 11 clean sheets in Serie A being two more than Onana managed, and his 38 goals conceded in 35 league games were six less than his contemporary, who played one less league match.

De Gea can also lay claim to providing one assist, which is something that neither Onana nor Bayindir managed.

Not long left of the summer transfer windowUltimately, Amorim and the United board know they have two weeks left of the summer player market in which to determine on their goalkeeping strategy.

​They will understand that things can't continue in the same way as they have over the past couple of seasons, and even if the manager can get his back line to a level that he's happy with, he still needs a commanding goalkeeper behind them to give them confidence.

One only needs to cast the mind back to when Peter Schmeichel was in his pomp at Old Trafford to understand just how important it is to have a keeper that's imposing and difficult to beat.

Whilst it was clear that a striker was urgently required at the club this summer as well as the strengthening of other key positions, it could be argued that a revision of the goalkeeping arrangements at the club was the most pressing need.

Leaving everything until much later in the window has put the Red Devils in the unfortunate position of having to force through a deal that might not have been considered closer to the beginning of the summer.

Is De Gea toying with the Red Devils?The club certainly aren't in a position to make another mistake, but even if it's only a temporary measure, the signing of former star De Gea makes sense.

A keeper with a wealth of experience and, importantly, one that knows what it means to play for Man United and understands the responsibility that comes with wearing the shirt of one of the world's most storied football clubs.

It isn't clear at this stage if De Gea is underway to the idea of returning to a team he served with relative aplomb from 2011 until 2023, but when warming up for a pre-season friendly this summer at Old Trafford, the Viola keeper was clearly affected by the warm appreciation that he received from the United faithful.

Perhaps even more interestingly, he posted on online platforms shortly afterwards that 'our paths may cross again.

.

.

'It's not quite a come and get me plea, and there's lots of work that will need to go into constructing a deal that's acceptable, but there is still enough time to get something over the line if all parties are willing to meet in the middle.

Quite what any deal would mean for Onana and Bayindir is anyone's guess.

Jason PettigroveBetopick