David De Gea proud to ‘stay at a high level’ with Fiorentina

David De Gea has insisted retirement never crossed his mind after he ended his year out of the game to sign for Fiorentina.

De Gea had been without a club for 12 months before he joined the Serie A outfit last week, having been released by Manchester United at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

The Spanish stopper made 545 appearances for United in more than a decade at Old Trafford, but will now continue his career in Italy.

“I am proud to wear the Viola shirt and to represent Florence. Thank you all,” De Gea said at a press conference in Italian.

“I spent a year in Manchester before returning to Madrid. I wanted to stay at a high level. I didn’t stop. It’s not easy to train alone.

“Manchester, it’s my home. That’s where my heart is set. It was difficult for me to find motivation to evaluate offers, so I decided to take a sabbatical.

“I continued training alone. I had to be at my best and when Fiorentina arrived, I had clear ideas.

“They have great fans and a great history. It was an easy decision. I didn’t want to retire.

“I am fit, I trained every day, even more than before. I am on a good level. Perhaps it will take some time in the first games but I’ve been playing for many years, so you just need to put me in goal.”