Why Andre Onana is the upgrade Man Utd desperately needed

Andre Onana’s incredible journey in football started when he was spotted playing on the streets of his hometown in Cameroon. As fate would have it, that moment presented an opportunity to join the charity football foundation set up by Samuel Eto'o - the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward, and his fellow Cameroonian. 

After continuing to show promise, Onana was signed by Barcelona at the age of 14 and put through their famed La Masia academy. He rose through the youth ranks and impressed during the 2014/15 UEFA Youth League for Barca’s U19 team. But seeing his pathway to a regular first team spot blocked by Marc-André ter Stegen, Onana made the brave decision to leave Barcelona and joined Ajax. 

The Cameroon International proved to be the perfect fit for Ajax’s incoming manager Erik ten Hag and went on to make over 200 appearances in a trophy laden spell at the club. The Dutch giants are yet another club renowned for producing highly technical players, and you can instantly tell that after watching Onana’s comfort on the ball. 

Against the backdrop of an unfortunate nine-month ban for a doping violation, Onana decided to run down his contract at Ajax and moved to Inter Milan in the summer of 2022. He is now reunited with ten Hag as the third most expensive goalkeeper in history, which is definitely the pinnacle of a whirlwind career so far. 

Andre Onana Transfer Value - how much is he worth? 

Onana has a current Expected Transfer Value (xTV) of €20.1m. This is more than double the reported €52m that Manchester United parted with for his services. That premium is expected when acquiring one of the best all-round goalkeepers in the market. 

Onana’s strengths and weaknesses - what does the data say? 

According to WhoScored, Onana has no clear weakness and his strengths lie in his concentration and shot stopping. 

Let’s dig into Onana’s profile for the main pillars of modern goalkeeping - shot stopping, in possession and sweeping behind the defence. 

Shot stopping 

For all his faults, David de Gea has proven an elite shot stopper. The Spaniard won the Premier League Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets last season, and United would want his replacement to be at least competent at this. So how does Onana fare? 

Last season, Onana had an Expected Saves (xS) P90 figure of 2.24 - which means he was expected to make just over two saves per 90 minutes based on the quality of shots on target he faced. But the 6-foot-2 stopper outperformed his xS by actually making 2.5 saves P90. 

In terms of Save Percentage, Onana saves 73.8% of shots on target, and just edges de Gea’s 69.7%. So United fans should be rest assured that they are getting a very capable keeper between the sticks. 

In possession 

The in-possession aspect of Onana’s game is where he brings the most significant upgrade to United. Onana’s 38 passes P90 is almost 10 more than what De Gea attempted last season. He also managed this with an incredible pass success of 79.2%, compared to de Gea’s 68.3%. 

It’s not just about the number of passes. The Cameroonian offers a greater variety on the ball, and is much more capable playing short compared to De Gea. This will enable United to draw the opposition attackers and play through the press in build-up. 

Onana also makes an eye-catching 0.71 final 3rd completions and 0.13 key passes P90, so he is also able to set off attacks and provide a dimension that was desperately lacking from that position. 

Sweeping 

A modern goalkeeper is required to anticipate danger and often needs to come off his line to rescue his defenders. Looking at the number of defensive actions outside the penalty area - De Gea’s 0.84 defensive actions P90 in the Premier League was pretty low.  

This was problematic given that Ten Hag’s possession dominant setup often exposes his backline to balls over the top on the break. Being proactive and making a split-second decision to sweep in behind the defence is a crucial element needed in a goalkeeper playing in this system. 

Onana’s figure of 0.42 P90 was even lower than de Gea’s, but he was playing in an Inter side that sits very deep, thereby limiting the opportunities he had to sweep. The 27-year-old’s impressive performances in this regard at Ajax and when playing for Cameroon at the 2022 World Cup should put fans at ease. 

Overall Onana is an exciting signing for Manchester United, as he matches the strengths of De Gea but also provides upgrades in many other areas. De Gea was a great servant for the club, and United fans should feel confident in believing that Onana can go on and do the same. 

This article was provided by FootballTransfers