After some costly mistakes by Asenjo, and the arrival of Quique Sánchez Flores as manager, De Gea finished the 2009–10 season as the starting "number one". He won two man of the match awards along the way, against Athletic Bilbao and Valencia. Additionally, he appeared in eight matches in the club's victorious UEFA Europa League campaign, including the 2–1 final win against Fulham. Diego Forlán later said of his first season, "David was good enough for the top level at 19 and the players had confidence in him."