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."



Tottenham Sack Manager Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur's Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur's Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
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Tottenham Sack Manager Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur's Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur's Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 13, 2025. (AFP)

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, the club said on Friday, despite the Australian guiding the club to their first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final last month.

Postecoglou will leave two years to the day after his appointment. Spurs beat Manchester United in Bilbao to win the Europa League and book their place in next season's Champions League, but a dismal domestic campaign ultimately cost Postecoglou his job.

"The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place," Spurs said in a statement.

"Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.

"At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritize our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph."

Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season, fueling pressure on the 59-year-old in his second year at the helm.