Why Onana could be the best Man Utd transfer of the Ten Hag era

Sam McGuire

• Updated: 20 Jul 2023 13:08 CDT
• 5 min read

Andre Onana and David De Gea are polar opposites as goalkeepers. I don’t think it would be possible to be able to find better examples of two extremes. Yet Manchester United have brought in the former to replace the latter.

The Spanish shot-stopper is out of contract at Old Trafford and despite reports suggesting the 32-year-old would be extending his stay, an agreement could not be struck and the former Atleti keeper parted ways with the club after 12 years.

It had been on the cards.

A number of high-profile errors coupled with the fact he was a poor fit for Erik Ten Hag’s style meant many had been discussing the goalkeeper situation all season, with a host of potential heirs being highlighted.

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Despite this, though, there was clearly some interest in prolonging this working relationship. United offered him an extension on reduced terms and De Gea accepted a pay cut to his reported €375,000-per-week salary. However, according to reports, the club withdrew the offer before returning to the table with a contract on even further reduced terms.

The two contract offers point towards United wanting to keep their No1, so there must have been a plan for him if he did agree to the second pay cut. Ten Hag must have been able to see the Spain international in his short-term vision if contract extensions had been discussed, so why have they now signed a goalkeeper with a completely different playing style?

What is going on at Old Trafford and why are these actions so contradictory? If not everyone is on the same page, it could be a long summer in the transfer market for the Red Devils.

De Gea's shortcomings

Back to the goalkeeping situation though. At surface level, shot-stoppers are all the same. Their job is to prevent the ball from going into the net. But there is much more to their game these days.

Most ball-dominant sides need their No1 to be comfortable and composed in possession. They also need them to be proactive. They need to be happy to come off of their line to sweep and very aggressive with their use of the ball.

Alisson helped transform Liverpool from nearly men under Jurgen Klopp into champions of everything. Ederson has been pivotal to the way Manchester City play under Pep Guardiola. Mikel Arteta invested in Aaron Ramsdale despite consecutive relegations for the England international, but his use of the ball fit the philosophy he was trying to implement at the Emirates and the gamble paid off.

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De Gea isn’t that sort of goalkeeper. He can be a brilliant shot-stopper but ask him to come off of his line and he is out of his comfort zone. Ask him to be an 11th outfield player when his team have possession and you are exaggerating his weaknesses and hiding his strengths - the exact opposite of what you want to do with your man between the sticks.

Ten Hag often wanted his team to build out from the back and De Gea limited what could and couldn’t be done. If United wanted to compete, they needed a goalkeeper who could play the way the manager wanted.

Onana, who played under Ten Hag in Amsterdam, ticks a lot of boxes.

Is Onana the solution?

He’s arguably too proactive, often getting involved in play outside of the penalty area. He does make mistakes but the risk is often worth the reward - as Inter found out last season as they made it all the way to the Champions League final in the 27-year-old’s first campaign with the Serie A club.

Onana arrived on a free transfer from Ajax and was flipped for €55 million by the Nerazzurri. The fee may seem a little steep given he moved for nothing 12 months ago but he can genuinely be a difference-maker. He may only be a little over 6ft but Onana commands his area well.

He’s ultra-aggressive, and very front-footed in his approach. The Cameroon international is used to seeing a lot of the ball - ranking in the 89th percentile for touches per 90, significantly higher than De Gea who ranks in the 30th percentile.

ESPN Chief Sports Writer Mark Ogden believes Onana will be transformative.

“With Onana, United will be much quicker. They will start attacks 10 yards further up the pitch, which will make a massive difference. In my view, he will make them a much more complete team."

The Inter man does everything De Gea can - his reflexes are outrageous too - but then he can do everything the former United keeper cannot. This could well be the best piece of business the Red Devils do all summer.

It could even be the best piece of business they manage to do during the Ten Hag era.