David De Gea 'angry' after missing Manchester United's Christmas visit to children's hospital due to drugs test
De Gea was held at United's Carrington training ground for over two hours while his team-mates delivered presents to children at Manchester Royal Children's Hospital
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United players visited a local hospital on Monday to deliver presents to young patients in their annual Christmas visit, but goalkeeper David De Gea was said to be left furious after a random drugs test which lasted two hours meant he was unable to join his team-mates on the trip.
United have made a tradition out of attending the Manchester Royal Children’s Hospital, with the likes of Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Memphis Depay among those to spend the afternoon with ill patients in the children’s ward.
But while they were able to bring the festive spirit to those facing a difficult Christmas, De Gea was not allowed to leave United’s training ground due to a random drugs test at Carrington, with the Daily Mail reporting that the football anti-doping agency gave no notice of the test.
It’s added that the Spain goalkeeper was left “angry” after he was forced to miss one of the key dates of the year that helps the United players engage with their young fans, who see something as simple as a visit of the Premier League stars as one of the best presents they could receive.
De Gea felt even worse about missing the day given that he is a firm fan favourite, and his ability to maintain his level of performance when his team-mates are failing to perform around him has only endeared him to the Old Trafford faithful, despite trying to leave the club in the summer transfer window when Real Madrid’s pursuit of him collapsed at the final minute.
United captain Wayne Rooney was able to attend the hospital for the afternoon in which he met a number of young United fans, and he posted a collage of the day onto his Twitter page to describe the visit as “always a special afternoon”.
The afternoon also allowed the united players to look beyond the current season on the pitch and have a welcome dose of reality, given they have received a fair share of criticism this season for their performances with manager Louis van Gaal facing a fight for his job.
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