David De Gea speaks to the press after the match between Fiorentina and Cremonese.

What does being the team captain mean to you in such a difficult period?

“Being team captain is a great responsibility, but I’m used to it because I was also team captain at Manchester United. I’m one of the players with the most experience in the team and I need to bring some calm, help everyone, set an example at training and during matches. It’s easier at my age than for younger players.”

Have you discussed whether some players might want to leave the team?

“If someone doesn’t want to stay, they can: there’s nothing wrong with that. Someone else will take their place. That’s what happens everywhere.”

How important is this victory?

“This win is very important for us. We deserved a few more points. The team is playing better. We had many chances but failed to score. That’s football. But today the team wanted to score and get those three points. That attitude is very important. We’re a tight-knit group. We must remain united when things get hard and we need our fans’ support. It’s easier to support a team when you win and everything goes well, but we must remain united in tough times too.”

Why do such important players end up in this situation?

“I’ve never been in a situation like this. But football is just like life: not everything goes your way. We would all like to be higher up in the table, but that’s football. We need to take it one step at a time. We know it’s a difficult situation, but we’re all working hard, the coach, staff and players. Everyone. I also think that you learn from difficult situations such as this one. You grow as a player. Young players definitely learn from these situations."

You and Moise Kean are the team’s star players. How much of a responsibility is that for you?

“We’re a team. If one or two players don’t do well, the team doesn’t work. I might make some saves and Kean might score, but you need someone who will pass him the ball, he can’t just go up against a whole team. I too need my defenders and midfielders to help me. It’s a team effort. He played 10, 15 minutes and scored: he’s very important to us and we appreciate what he does for the team. It’s a challenging situation and we all need to take responsibility and overcome this.”