Thursday night was another blot on the André Onana copybook after the goalkeeper’s two errors meant Manchester United left Lyon on level terms in their Europa League quarter-final. In the buildup the former United midfielder Nemanja Matic described the Cameroonian as “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history” – and Onana failed to dispel the claim.
Erik ten Hag brought in Onana from Inter in July 2023 to replace David de Gea, one of the best keepers United have had but who was allowed to leave for nothing, and the decision has never looked justified. Onana cost about £45m a year after he was available for free, in another strange recruitment decision by United. De Gea took a year off before returning this season with Fiorentina, where he has again shown himself to be one of the continent’s finest, to make the situation more painful for United fans.
A key reason for the change was Onana’s superior use of the ball with his feet but glovework is quite important. The Lyon opener was the eighth time Onana has committed an error leading to a goal in his United career – the equaliser the ninth. Thiago Almada’s curling free-kick should have been dealt with but a lack of anticipation allowed it to elude everyone and beat a belatedly diving Onana. In the 95th minute he failed to hold a shot, enabling Rayan Cherki to pounce and deflate United.
“If you play football and you play a lot of games, you can make mistakes,” Ruben Amorim said of his goalkeeper. One problem Onana has faced is a lack of rest since he came to England. Ten Hag played him 51 times in his first season at Old Trafford and Onana also made five appearances for Cameroon, including a short trip to the Africa Cup of Nations in January after debating whether he wanted to go.
The backup Altay Bayindir appeared once last season when Onana was away for Afcon. Ten Hag played his first choice in every Carabao Cup and FA Cup fixture for which he was available. Goalkeepers are often overlooked when it comes to rest and rotation. Although their position does not include as much physical exertion it is mentally demanding, with the need always to be switched on.
Bayindir has been afforded six cup starts this season and was the hero in the FA Cup shootout win against Arsenal but Amorim has had a lengthy period of naming untried academy goalkeepers on the bench with the Turkey international and the third choice, Tom Heaton, injured. Heaton is available again but the 38-year‑old’s most recent first-team appearance came in February 2023 and he is highly unlikely to add to the figure before his contract expires in the summer.
United are not prolific scorers, making it imperative they are tight in defence. They have 37 goals from 31 Premier League games but have conceded 41. According to Opta, Onana has the worst league clean sheet record for a United goalkeeper who has played more than 900 minutes since its records began in 2003-04. The 29-year-old has kept out opponents in 26.1% of his 69 league appearances, whereas De Gea’s record was 35.4% across 415 appearances. Roy Carroll leads the list with a ratio more than twice as good as Onana’s at 53.1%. Only Anders Lindegaard has a worse save percentage rate than Onana’s 70.1%.
Admittedly, Carroll was protected by Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Gabriel Heinze, among others, for much of his United career. None of United’s current defenders will go down as club legends, their flaws well documented.
Since Onana joined United, no Premier League goalkeeper has made more errors leading to goals (nine) in all competitions. In the league this season, Onana has made three such errors, putting him behind Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric, Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez and Bart Verbruggen of Brighton. Onana’s save percentage is 67.7%, placing him in 12th, perhaps a suitable placing for a mid-table goalkeeper.
Goalkeepers are often creatures of habit, wanting the same defenders in front of them and stability in training. Onana has not been afforded either, playing behind a cast of thousands in defence through a mixture of injuries and Amorim’s desperate attempts to find a combination that works. At Carrington he has found the situation somewhat erratic and had three goalkeeping coaches in his first year and a half with the club. They all have different methods and demands.
United travel to face Newcastle on Sunday and Onana is likely to play again but he knows the pressure is growing. Considering the desire for personnel changes in other positions and the financial situation, Amorim will be reluctant to target a new goalkeeper but things need to improve quickly for Onana or Matic’s words will be his Old Trafford epitaph.
Source: theguardian.com
