Andre Onana is emerging as Manchester United’s top target to replace David de Gea as no.1 goalkeeper, kick442.com understands.
Erik Ten Hag is a big admirer of Champions League finalist Onana and Man United have held detailed talks with Inter Milan over a potential move.
De Gea enjoyed a good 2022/23 season under Erik ten Hag having scooped up the Premier League Golden Glove award.
De Gea’s ability with his feet has been cited as another reason why he may not be a good fit in Ten Hag’s system.
But just some weeks after De Gea routinely gave away possession to City in the FA Cup final defeat – as well as being too slow to save Ilkay Gundogan’s winning goal – United saw the future right in front of them.
In the Champions League final against City, Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana gave a masterclass in controlling and distributing the ball while under pressure. And if United want to build on all the progress they have made under Ten Hag, then they need to go all out and sign the former Cameroon No.1.
Onana may have ended the night on the losing side, but he was one of the standout players in the Champions League final and was a key factor in Inter making such a contest of a match that many pundits predicted would be a one-sided affair.
The 27-year-old began his professional career with Ajax having been a youth player at Barcelona.
He was on Ajax’s books at for six years before joining Inter last summer, helping them to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana success in his first season.
Onana has 34 caps for Cameroon to his name, representing them at the 2022 World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations championships.
André Onana is the ideal shot-stopper for Man United
Elume Raymond, sports analyst, says he is certain that Andre Onana would be the “ideal” next No.1 for Manchester United, regardless of whether David de Gea stays or leaves.
Ten Hag is said to want a shot-stopper who is comfortable with passing, and Elume believes Champions League finalist Onana – who worked under the United boss at Ajax – is a perfect fit.
Speaking to kick442, he said: “when you look at how Erik ten Hag’s team likes to play, then the one goalkeeper that looks like the ideal fit in this regard is Andre Onana. I can tell that immediately.”
“It’s difficult because Manchester United wants to compete with a style of play similar to Manchester City’s, with a goalkeeper that’s capable of playing out from the back, with composure on the ball at their feet. Manchester United need to sign a goalkeeper of this ilk, whether David de Gea stays or not.”
Onana still has three years left on his deal having only arrived at Inter from Ajax last year.
The Champions League final – the trial before the signing
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola had spoken about Onana’s quality on a number of occasions before the final. In the pre-match press conference, he was asked who Inter’s most dangerous player was, and rather than point to a forward like Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko or Romelu Lukaku, he offered a concise analysis of his side’s opponents. And he singled out Onana, who he described as “an exceptional goalkeeper to take the position to build-up. Really, really good.”
In an interview with CBS Sports, he again praised Onana for helping Inter play out from the back, contrasting the Serie A side’s style of play with United: “The goalkeeper, Onana, makes it really difficult to deploy a high press against. You cannot press the goalkeeper properly. They are masters at keeping the ball, right up to the attackers – the likes of Lautaro, Dzeko and Lukaku.
“If you look at United, for example, it is long ball. With [Marcus] Rashford and another one (forward) to run onto. But Inter are different, they keep the ball.”
Onana lived up to Guardiola’s billing. In the opening minute of the final, he could be seen dribbling outside of his area, in front of his centre-backs. A few minutes later, when Bernardo Silva ran to press him in his area, he nonchalantly chipped the ball to Federico Dimarco.
Towards the end of the first half, Onana had five City players in front of him and only one real option to hit, but he slipped the ball straight into the path of Marcelo Brozovic, making the pass with the ease of a top-class holding midfielder.
Late in the game, when Inter were desperately chasing an equaliser, many goalkeepers would have resorted to quickly punting the ball forward.
But Onana remained calm and courageous, venturing way out of his area with the ball at his feet – closer to the halfway line than his area – and taking on Erling Haaland before finding Lukaku and starting a dangerous Inter attack.
Short passing under pressure is far from Onana’s only attribute, and in one moment in the second half he took out seven City players with a curling pass to start a counter-attack. Over the course of the 90 minutes, Onana put opposite number Ederson, once regarded as one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in the world, in the shade with his passing and dribbling.
Onana also performed well with his hands, foiling Haaland from City’s best chance of the first half. There was very little he could do about Rodri’s winning strike, too.
While European superpowers such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were crushed by City, Inter got mighty close to toppling Guardiola’s side, and a large part of that was the calmness and control Onana gave them in possession. But that is far from the only reason why United should be trying to sign the goalkeeper.
What the stats say
Statistics never tell the full story but they can shed light on it. Andre Onana kept eight clean sheets in Inter’s run to the Champions League final and kept out 73.5 per cent of shots that were on target in Serie A.
He was nowhere near the Italian Golden Glove award this season but made fewer mistakes than David de Gea, who won the Premier League equivalent.
But such interest will not simply be due to his quality with his gloves. The Cameroon star completed 100 per cent of his passes under 14 metres in Serie A last season and 98 per cent of attempts under 28.
For pass distances over 30 metres (54.7 per cent completion rate), he would rank as the fourth most accurate goalkeeper in the Premier League out of those who have played more than three games. He would be third if it was among those who had played 15 or more.
Over long-distance passing, Onana ranked third among Serie A goalkeepers who played more than 13 matches.
Furthermore, he was one of a number to keep a 100 per cent short-pass record in the division this season. But statistics never tell the full story.
It’s not necessarily the type of passes Onana makes but when he passes, how, at what stage of the match, who he is passing to, his positioning, his vision. All of those facets are not recorded on a database.
When it comes to choosing goalkeepers who are assured with their feet, Guardiola ought to be listened to.
Victor Valdes was ahead of his time at Barcelona. He took that philosophy forward with the likes of Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich and at City with Claudio Bravo before Ederson – who had the best Premier League long-ball pass succession rate for a goalkeeper this season.
And ahead of the Champions League final, Guardiola was praiseful of Onana. He said: “They [Inter] have a real good process, starting from Onana, an exceptional goalkeeper in the build-up – one of the best in the world right now.”
Ten Hag – formerly under Guardiola while managing Bayern’s second side – is also eager to have his goalkeepers play out from the back. He had to compromise in his first year. But going forward, he wants a modern goalkeeper who can use his feet as well as he can use his hands, and thus contribute to the attacking phase.
Onana, of course, previously worked under Ten Hag at Ajax and perhaps learned a lot of his ball skills with the Dutchman. Guardiola has reminded him what he is currently missing at United.
Onana was Ten Hag’s No.1 for the majority of his time at Ajax, and during their time together, they won three Eredivisie titles and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, outclassing Real Madrid and knocking out Juventus before being eliminated in agonising fashion by Tottenham.
Signing Onana could be the key to United taking that next step and unlocking their true potential under Ten Hag, allowing them to replicate Ajax’s free-flowing football which conquered Madrid and Juve, and earned them admirers around the world.
