'You are the best' - Ighalo expresses his support for Man Utd GK De Gea after penalty miss

Published: May 27, 2021

Manchester United old boy Odion Ighalo has expressed his support for David de Gea after the goalkeeper missed a decisive spot-kick in the shoot-out which handed Villarreal the Europa League title on Wednesday night.

After the twenty outfield players converted their spot-kicks, Yellow Submarine goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was successful from twelve yards before saving De Gea's kick.

De Gea was selected to be in between the pipes ahead of England international Dean Henderson who has a better record of saving penalties.

The Spaniard has not saved a penalty in the last five years, since he prevented the then Everton striker Romelu Lukaku from scoring in an FA Cup fixture on April 23, 2016.

On Thursday afternoon, De Gea broke his silence through social media, vowing to learn from the experience.

Writing on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of himself and legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, De Gea stated : "To fall and rise. Learn from the experience, fight again and win. @manchesterunited Thanks for your support".

Responding to his post in Spanish, Ighalo said, "Eres el mejor hermano ❤️❤️👏", which translates to "You are the best brother".

During a one-year association with Manchester United, Ighalo made five appearances in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, scoring two goals.

The former Nigeria international revealed in April 2020 that De Gea and two other Spanish-speaking Manchester United first team stars, Juan Mata and Sergio Romero, helped him settle into life at Old Trafford.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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