The Cameroonian goalkeeper experienced a challenging transition from playing at Serie A powerhouse Inter to the intense spotlight of the Premier League, following his £48 million ($62m) transfer in the summer of 2023. Errors began to surface in his performances, prompting doubts about whether Manchester United had made the right decision in replacing David de Gea.
According to reports from The Athletic, the criticism directed at Onana wasn’t limited to the stands and media. It’s alleged that during a training session where Onana’s performance fell below expectations, a young first-team player shouted, “Are you going to save one or what?” at the 27-year-old goalkeeper.
Onana has persevered through these challenges and has improved his consistency in 2024. Eric Steele, United’s former goalkeeping coach, remarked on this progression, stating, “He has followed a similar path to David and even Peter Schmeichel. A difficult first few months, but you have to understand why. Onana came from Italy where the pace and tempo are different. There’s no league in the world where you have the variation in games that you get in the Premier League and it catches new goalkeepers out. You play against a possession team one week — Liverpool, Brighton, Villa or Manchester City — and then you have counter-attacking teams and sides mixing it up far more than you see in Serie A. You’re playing with fans right on top of you in full stadiums that hold 74,000 or 11,000. There are so many variables to get used to and the fans are looking for big saves, which is what you want when you’ve paid so much for a goalkeeper.”
Throughout the challenges, Onana has maintained a positive attitude publicly, adhering to the belief that temporary setbacks don’t define true talent. His recent performances reflect this resilience, and he aims to prove his worth to those who doubted him, both within and outside Old Trafford.
André Onana
André Onana
CameroonThis season he played in total 27 times for 2430 minutes for Premier League.
He made 97 saves and conceded 37 goals. He received 4 yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 6th in Premier League. In the last match Manchester United lost 3-1 against Manchester City. The next match in Premier League will be against Everton.
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 6th in the Premier League with 44 points.
In the last 27 games, it has won 14 times, drawn twice, and lost 11 times. In its last match, Manchester United lost 3-1 against Manchester City.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 37 goals and conceding 39.
Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Everton on Saturday 9th of March in Manchester. The prediction is Manchester United winning the match.
