David de Gea keeps clean sheet as Fiorentina beat Watford 1-0 in pre-season friendly

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David de Gea Leaves English Football with Clean Sheet

Publication Date: 2026-07-29 21:11:11 Originally posted on: centredevils By: Usman Mubarik | Last updated Jul 29, 2026 5:11 PM ET

David de Gea has completed his latest spell back in English football with a far more positive result.

The former Manchester United goalkeeper spent 12 years at Old Trafford after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011. He made 545 appearances for United and kept a club-record 190 clean sheets. De Gea also won the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League, and two League Cups during his time in Manchester.

His United career ended in 2023 after his contract expired. The Spaniard then spent a full year away from football before returning to the game in the summer of 2024 with Fiorentina. He quickly rebuilt his reputation and became a regular starter again.

De Gea also made an emotional return to Old Trafford in 2025, where United supporters welcomed him back.

His latest visit to England started badly, though. He conceded twice during a 3-2 defeat against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. However, De Gea produced a much stronger display in his final appearance of the trip. He started for Fiorentina as the Italian side faced Watford in their final pre-season match in England.

David de Gea Impresses in Final England Appearance

Fiorentina secured a 1-0 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road. De Gea started the match and kept a clean sheet.

Watford began brightly and created several chances during the opening stages:

• Othmane Maamma forced De Gea to push a low effort behind for a corner after five minutes.
• James Abankwah Bola then struck the crossbar as the hosts continued to threaten.
• De Gea later gathered a dangerous cross before comfortably saving Mamadou Doumbia’s header.

Despite Watford controlling much of the first half, Fiorentina opened the scoring against the run of play. Roberto Piccoli found the corner with a powerful finish shortly before the interval. Fiorentina then protected their lead and completed a narrow victory.

The result gave De Gea an immediate response after his difficult outing against QPR. It also means the former United goalkeeper leaves English football with a clean sheet.

Fiorentina will now continue their pre-season preparations in Austria. Their next fixture will come against Real Madrid, giving De Gea another high-profile test before the new Serie A campaign begins.

This article first appeared on centredevils and was syndicated with permission.

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