The shocking Onana stat that’ll leave Man Utd fans pining for De Gea
When Manchester United signed Andre Onana over the summer, he was expected to rectify their issues between the sticks. David De Gea may have won the Golden Glove award last season, yet the Spaniard's inability to instigate attacks from defence proved a sticking point for a United side that looked to sustain a title push.
Onana worked with head coach Erik ten Hag with Ajax, too, so it was perceived to be a match made in heaven. United finally had a goalkeeper who could pick out a teammate with ease and effectively act as an 11th outfielder to ensure the Manchester powerhouse were able to dominate. Things haven't quite gone according to plan, however.
The Cameroonian was impressive on his Premier League debut, despite his best efforts to concede a late penalty against Wolves, but has since flattered to deceive. Onana has conceded 11 league goals already this season, and earned a WhoScored rating of just 4.79 in United's midweek Champions League 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray as he failed to make a single save at Old Trafford.
A save success rate of 71.4% is solid, however the core criticism comes from his poor distribution. This was so often a stick with which to beat De Gea, and Onana hasn't lived up to expectations in the opening weeks of the season. Of course, it's only a small sample size, but of the 28 players to have attempted 50 or more long balls, Onana has the worst long ball success rate (30.5%) in the Premier League this season.
😬 Of the 28 players to attempt 50+ long balls, Andre Onana has the worst long ball success rate (30.5%) in the Premier League this season pic.twitter.com/kwY0Ekxcxi
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 3, 2023
Supporters felt their issues with distribution at the back was rectified when the 27-year-old arrived from Inter over the summer, yet the opening weeks to his career at the club hasn't been ideal. That said, he's only made seven league appearances so these numbers will improve in time, though it's an early concern for United fans, who have been left hugely underwhelmed from a sub-par start to the campaign.