Man Utd Trophy Drought Has Gone on Too Long, Says Dejected de Gea

David de Gea. (AP)
David de Gea. (AP)
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Man Utd Trophy Drought Has Gone on Too Long, Says Dejected de Gea

David de Gea. (AP)
David de Gea. (AP)

Manchester United have gone too many years without trophies and need a more determined collective effort to end their drought, goalkeeper David de Gea said after they crashed out of the Champions League following a defeat by Atletico Madrid.

A first-half header from Renan Lodi gave Atletico a 1-0 win on Tuesday for a 2-1 aggregate last-16 victory that extinguished United's hopes of a title this season and extended their trophy drought to five years.

"Of course it's not good enough," De Gea, who was part of the United squad that won the Europa League crown in 2017, said. "There are too many years without any trophies, even without fighting for trophies.

"We need to be clear we want to achieve good things and fight for trophies. We don't just want to play for the top four and get out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

"So we need much more from everyone because this club is too big for where we are now. We are far from the fighting places for the Premier League, for the Champions League, so we need much more from everyone."

United are fifth in the Premier League with 50 points from 29 games and face a daunting task to make the top four and earn a place in next year's Champions League.

"This is where we are at the moment. It's a difficult situation. We have to keep fighting. I feel very sad. But we were not good enough," De Gea said of the Atletico result.

"We are really disappointed with the result. It's difficult to put into words how we feel at the moment. We did not enough in both games to win it. It's a disappointing day for us."



French Skier Sarrazin out of Intensive Care after Crash and Head Injury

Medical staff are helping France's Cyprien Sarrazin after crashing into protections net during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill training, in Bormio, Italy, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
Medical staff are helping France's Cyprien Sarrazin after crashing into protections net during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill training, in Bormio, Italy, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
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French Skier Sarrazin out of Intensive Care after Crash and Head Injury

Medical staff are helping France's Cyprien Sarrazin after crashing into protections net during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill training, in Bormio, Italy, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
Medical staff are helping France's Cyprien Sarrazin after crashing into protections net during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill training, in Bormio, Italy, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

French skier Cyprien Sarrazin was out of intensive care after sustaining a head injury in a crash last week.

Sarrazin underwent surgery for a bleed near the brain after crashing on Friday during preparations for the World Cup downhill in Bormio, Italy.

“A long period of recovery and then rehabilitation now begins and the length of his unavailability is currently undetermined,” the French Ski Federation said on Thursday on X. It added he was stable, The AP reported.

Sarrazin, who won the downhill on Bormio’s Stelvio course last year, had the operation at Sondalo hospital near Bormio on the same day as the accident.

The French Ski Federation said he had pain in his foot and knee but “despite the violence of the shock, no other injuries were found.”

It said he was due to return to France on Friday to be admitted to the neurosurgery department of the Medipole de Lyon.

The 30-year-old Sarrazin was the fastest in the first training session the day before his crash. On Friday’s second run he appeared to hit a bump, lost control and was catapulted into the air. He slid a long way down before he was caught in the safety netting.

The slope will be used for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in 14 months.