Vanoli backs De Gea as Fiorentina scrutiny grows after Juventus draw

What happened

Paolo Vanoli defended David De Gea after Fiorentina's draw with Juventus, telling reporters that the goalkeeper "is my captain, he will never be a problem," according to Corriere dello Sport. The coach repeated that position on Sunday evening when asked about the Spaniard, without elaborating further.

Report details

The report says the issue around De Gea persists and centres on the most prominent figure in the dressing room. Corriere dello Sport cites his more than 400 appearances for Manchester United and 45 caps for Spain, but points above all to the salary of a player who turned 36 the previous Friday.

The newspaper highlighted De Gea's role in Juventus's equaliser. In the 66th minute, it reported, he started to come for the ball and then pulled back; his shout at Pellegrino disrupted the defender's header, allowing the cross from the corner flag to pass, before Bremer's shove and the definitive 2-2. In the images of that action, the report said, the goalkeeper looked confused.

Corriere dello Sport described coming off his line as a long-standing weakness for De Gea, dating back to his time at United. Now, the report added, he has less confidence in leaving his goal and prefers to stay on his line, where it says he remains among the best for explosiveness.