Back in February 2011 the 20-year-old Atletico Madrid goalkeeper had already been identified by the then Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson as his priority target, to fill the upcoming vacancy as United's next goalkeeper to replace Edwin van Der Sar.
The Dutch legend had officially announced in late January 2011 that he would quit the game at the end of that season, and club staff had already been on the lookout for his eventual replacement.
A week after Edwin's announcement, on 5 February, De Gea was unable to quell the individual brilliance of Messi, who scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the Catalan capital as Barca beat the visitors 3-0.