David de Gea's Fiorentina Debut Turns Sour, Concedes Two Goals in 12 Minutes

• David de Gea faced a challenging beginning to his tenure at Fiorentina, struggling in his first match after an 18-month hiatus
• The former Manchester United star found himself in an unexpected situation, spending the entirety of last season without a club.
• But the former Spain international signed a deal with Italian side Fiorentina just last week for the forthcoming campaign

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea returned to action for the first time after 446 days on Thursday evening.

The 33-year-old was named in the starting eleven for his new club, Fiorentina, in their Europa Conference League match against Hungarian side Puskas Akademia.

The Spanish shot-stopper departed Manchester United in the summer of 2023 after 12 years at Old Trafford.

He recently signed a one-year contract with Fiorentina, with an option to extend for an additional year.

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De Gea makes Fiorentina debut

Just five days later, he was given a starting role in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off against Puskas Akademia, who began the match with an impressive start on Thursday,

De Gea, who last conceded to Ilkay Gundogan in a 2-1 FA Cup loss in May 2023, let in two early goals in the Europa Conference League play-offs after over one year without playing.

Zsolt Nagy put Puskas Akademia ahead with a penalty in the eighth minute, and just three minutes later, De Gea couldn't stop Mikael Soisalo's powerful strike.

How did the match end?

Puskas Academy, established in 2005, secured third place in the Hungarian top division last season.

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Fortunately for De Gea, his new teammates staged a comeback. Riccardo Sottil scored just before halftime, while Lucas Martinez Quarta and Moise Kean gave Fiorentina the lead in the second half, Sport Bible reports.

However, the Hungarians surprised the Artemio Franchi stadium in the final moments as Wojciech Golla scored to equalize the thrilling match at 3-3.

De Gea joins Fiorentina for one year

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that de Gea is reportedly set for a remarkable comeback in club football, more than a year after his dramatic departure from Manchester United.

The veteran goalkeeper joined Italian Serie A club Fiorentina on a one-year contract, with an option to extend his deal for another year.

Source: YEN.com.gh