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."



Russian Held in France for 'Destabilizing' Olympics put Under House Arrest

A view shows the logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Paris, France, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A view shows the logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Paris, France, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Russian Held in France for 'Destabilizing' Olympics put Under House Arrest

A view shows the logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Paris, France, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A view shows the logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Paris, France, March 19, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

A Russian citizen detained in France for "destabilizing" the Olympics has been placed under house arrest, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing the Russian embassy in Paris.

French police said in July they had arrested a 40-year-old Russian man days before the start of the Paris Games after finding evidence at his home that raised "fears of his intention to organize events likely to cause destabilization during the Olympic Games".

RIA cited the Russian embassy as saying relatives of the man, whom it identified as Kirill Gryaznov, had informed them that he been placed under house arrest, Reuters reported.

RIA said the French prosecutor's office had told the agency that Gryaznov faced up to 30 years in prison on charges of helping a foreign state to foment disorder in France.

There was no immediate comment from French authorities on the matter.

Relations between France and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Earlier this month a court in Moscow handed out a three-year jail sentence to a French researcher, Laurent Vinatier, for violations of Russia's law against "foreign agents".