De Gea starred for Fiorentina in the pre-season friendly with United on Saturday at Old Trafford. United drew 1-1 in the fixture with a Robin Gosens own goal cancelling out an opener from Simon Sohm.
United went on to win the subsequent penalty shootout 5-4, with all five players converting their spot-kicks.
Before kick-off, de Gea was honoured with a presentation led by United captain and his former teammate, Bruno Fernandes. After the game, de Gea posted a message on social media after his first return to Old Trafford since his exit from the club as a free agent two years ago.
“A magical moment for me and my family to come back to Old Trafford – my home,” wrote de Gea in an emotional Instagram post.
“From the bottom of my heart – I want to say thank you for the reception – for all the love you shown me today.
“To the supporters that never stopped being with me throughout my time at this club
“Our paths may cross again but for today… We’ve seen it all.”
The post from De Gea received more than one million likes, including one from Rashford who left United this summer to join Barcelona on loan. Rashford made 294 appearances alongside De Gea for United, with no other players featuring more times alongside the goalkeeper at club level across the Spain international’s career.
Rashford left a red love heart in the comments section of the post, while Fernandes wrote: “Your home will always be here.” Defender Diogo Dalot simply commented: “Legend.”
United stars Rasmus Hojlund, Lisandro Martinez, Dalot, Tom Heaton and Fernandes also liked the post from De Gea.
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