Onana is back! Man Utd star on par with Alisson despite early struggles
Cameron Smith
- 27 Nov 2023 10:12 CST
- 3 min read
Andre Onana has been much-maligned since he swapped Inter Milan for Manchester United this summer, with Red Devils fans regularly calling for David de Gea to return.
The Cameroon international endured a tricky opening few weeks at Old Trafford after several error-ridden performances that created headlines for all the wrong reasons.
He let a soft Leroy Sane shot slip under his grasp against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, while his European form continued to disappoint after he was at fault for Casemiro’s red card versus Galatasaray.
Onana rectified things with a last-minute penalty save against Copenhagen, which preserved three precious points in Erik ten Hag’s bid to guide Man Utd to the Champions League last-16 and his reputation is on its way to being repaired.
He has been notably better in recent weeks, with his confidence improving vastly since that penalty stop.
MAN UTD'S ANDRÉ ONANA SAVES JORDAN LARSSON'S LAST-MINUTE PENALTY 🇨🇲😱#UCL pic.twitter.com/I91qmTqACY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2023
Onana has been criticised so much that he is now firmly in the underrated category and Man Utd have their ‘keeper to at least partially thank for their form in recent weeks.
They have won five of their last six Premier League matches (the defeat coming against Manchester City) and currently sit sixth in the table, six points off top, despite the crisis talks that have populated the online space.
Onana is now underrated
Onana’s stats make for pretty reading in the Premier League, despite the barrage of criticism that he has received since he moved to England during the summer transfer window.
The Man Utd shot-stopper is currently joint-second in the Premier League for Post-Shot Expected Goals, along with Liverpool’s Alisson, with +3.4. Essentially, he should have conceded 3.4 more goals than he has, based on the quality of xG his opponents have created.
This is partly down to poor finishing and good fortune, but Onana is also to thank too. Furthermore, he is also second in the Premier League for saves made (51), joint-first for save percentage (78.8%) and joint-first for clean sheets (five).
Onana’s passing was billed as his great strength and it still needs improvement in English football, but his shot-stopping, especially in recent weeks, has been an underrated facet of his game and is a key reason why Man Utd’s supposed ‘crisis’ sees them just four points off the top four.
