Dwight Yorke: ‘Andre Onana is NOT as good as David de Gea’

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 25 Jul 2023 20:33 BST
• 4 min read

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Dwight Yorke believes that Manchester United have taken a step backwards by offloading David de Gea this summer and replacing him with Andre Onana.

Yorke, 51, played over 150 times for Man Utd and won six trophies at Old Trafford, but thinks that his former club have made an error in releasing De Gea.

Onana garnered mass praise from Pep Guardiola following the 2023 Champions League final, but Yorke admits that he isn’t convinced by the purchase of the Cameroon shot-stopper.

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Speaking exclusively to FootballTransfers on behalf of Online Betting Guide, Yorke revealed: “I've said before that Man Utd need to be careful what they wish for with losing De Gea. For all the good De Gea has done for Man Utd, the way his career ended was really bad.

“I hope this doesn't come back to haunt the club now they've bought Onana. Be careful what you wish for,” he warned.

“De Gea is the Golden Glove winner, a high-profile player who has made mistakes, like the rest of us. De Gea winning the Golden Glove is like winning the Golden Boot and being the top scorer at the club but still getting replaced. That does not resonate well with me,” Yorke continued.

“In my opinion, Onana is not as good as De Gea and people need to watch him very carefully. I've seen Onana before, the Premier League is a different kettle of fish with how fast the game is and how often you are pressured. Onana tries to be an outfield player rather than a goalkeeper sometimes.

“I will be watching this guy very closely, and the people who have criticised De Gea and wanted him to leave will probably be the ones who will be calling him to come back. I'm hoping that doesn't happen.”

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'The Glazer situation is annoying'

While Man Utd have completed the signings of Mason Mount and the aforementioned Onana so far this summer, the Glazers are still in the process of selling the club, something that has frustrated Yorke.

“The Glazer situation is annoying now. One day they want the money, the next they're reluctant to sell. You can't knock them for wanting the highest price possible and keep a stake in the club, but it is frustrating,” the former Man Utd star explained to FootballTransfers.

“Everyone wants the club to progress, so they need to now just be honest and straight to the point, are they selling or not? All this drama for the last six-to-eight months has been crazy, it's very unsettling at the club. Erik ten Hag and the fans just want to move on, the stalling is disrupting the preparation for the upcoming season.

However, despite the disruption to the club, Yorke believes the Glazers’ attempt to sell Man Utd will not have any effect on the first-team players.

“The players won't get too involved, obviously, the manager will be annoyed not to get the cash flow to invest in his squad, but from a player's view, it doesn't mean anything as long as they get their wages,” Yorke admitted. “Marcus Rashford has just signed a new contract, he'll carry on as normal.

“Players don't get involved with the politics of football, that's only for people who want to stick their noses in it. Half of the players probably have no clue what is going on, they might see something on the TV, but players won't be interested in that. All they care about is playing football, getting paid and winning trophies.”

Last season, Ten Hag brought home Man Utd’s first piece of silverware since 2017 thanks to their Carabao Cup final win over Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.