How Andre Onana will Improve Man Utd
Manchester United have made a number of signings in the summer transfer window, but one of the most notable is the arrival of Andre Onana from Inter Milan. Onana is a talented goalkeeper who has been capped by Cameroon at international level. He is known for his shot-stopping ability, his distribution, and his ability to play out from the back.
Onana's arrival is a major boost for Manchester United. He is a clear upgrade on David de Gea, who has been inconsistent in recent years. Onana is also a better fit for how Manchester United wants to play under Erik ten Hag. Ten Hag's teams are known for their possession-based style of play, and Onana is comfortable playing with the ball at his feet.
In this blog post, I will closely examine Onana's best attributes and how he can help Manchester United in the upcoming season. I will also discuss the differences in style between Onana and de Gea, and how this could benefit Manchester United.
Onana's Best Attributes
Onana has a number of impressive attributes that make him a top-class goalkeeper. Here are some of his best attributes:
- Shot-stopping: Onana is a decent shot-stopper. He has a strong reaction time and he is good at making saves in one-on-one situations - he is not widely known for this attribute. Last season he kept the most clean sheets in the Champions League (8) and an overall 19 clean sheets across all competitions. He had an average save percentage of 71.76%.
- Distribution: Onana is a good distributor of the ball. He is comfortable passing with both feet and he is able to find his teammates with accurate passes. Last season he averaged around 34.9 passes per 90 mins with a pass completion of around 81.3%
- Playing out from the back: Onana is comfortable playing out from the back. He can dribble past opponents and is good at finding the right pass to start an attack. He completed 2.3 dribbles per game in Serie A.
Differences in Style Between Onana and de Gea
Onana's style of play is different to that of David de Gea. De Gea is a more traditional goalkeeper who is known for his shot-stopping ability. Onana is more of a modern goalkeeper who is comfortable playing with the ball at his feet.
This difference in style could be a major benefit for Manchester United. Ten Hag's teams are known for their possession-based style of play, and Onana is a better fit for this style than de Gea. Onana's ability to play out from the back will help Manchester United to build attacks from the back.
How Onana Can Help Manchester United
Onana's arrival could have a significant impact on Manchester United's season. He is a talented goalkeeper who can improve the team in a number of areas.
First, Onana's shot-stopping ability could help Manchester United to concede fewer goals. In the 2021-22 season, Manchester United conceded 57 goals in the Premier League, which was the third-most in the league. Onana's arrival could help to reduce this number. While United kept the most clean sheets in the 22/23 season, in big games they tended to leak many goals (7-0 loss to Liverpool and a 6-3 loss to Manchester City).
We can see that Onana is confident with his feet and can pick out a pass and also break defensive lines with a line-splitting ball. This is the type of keeper Ten Hag always wants in his team. The development of United was limited due to De Gea's lack of skill on the ball which led to many errors when trying to build from the back or sweeping actions. Onana is very good at this and thus will bring a better dynamic to this United team.
It wouldn't surprise me to see United average more possession and players such as Bruno and Rashford to benefit in transition attacks.
Conclusion
Onana's arrival is a major boost for Manchester United. He is a talented goalkeeper who can improve the team in a number of areas. His shot-stopping ability, distribution, and ability to play out from the back could all be valuable assets for Manchester United in the upcoming season.
In addition to his technical skills, Onana is also a confident and vocal leader. He is not afraid to speak up and give instructions to his defenders.
This leadership quality will be important for Manchester United, as they look to improve their defence in the upcoming season.
Onana is a young goalkeeper with a lot of potential. He has the talent to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. If he can stay fit and continue to develop, he could be a key player for Manchester United for many years to come.
Here are some additional thoughts on how Onana can help Manchester United:
- He can help to improve the team's communication. Onana is a good communicator and he is not afraid to speak up. This could help to improve the communication between the goalkeeper and the defenders, which could lead to fewer mistakes.
- He can help to improve the team's confidence. Onana is a confident goalkeeper and he has a strong presence. This could help to improve the confidence of the defenders, which could lead to better performances.
- He can help to improve the team's style of play. Onana is a modern goalkeeper who is comfortable playing with the ball at his feet. This could help Manchester United to play a more possession-based style of play, which could lead to more goals.
Overall, Onana's arrival is a major boost for Manchester United. He is a talented goalkeeper who can improve the team in a number of areas. I am excited to see how he performs in the upcoming season.
Here are some of the challenges that Onana may face at Manchester United:
- He will need to adapt to the Premier League. The Premier League is a more physical league than Serie A, and Onana will need to adapt to the physicality of the game.
- He will need to compete with David de Gea. De Gea is a world-class goalkeeper, and Onana will need to compete with him for the starting spot.
- He will need to stay fit. Onana has had some injury problems in the past, and he will need to stay fit in order to be a regular starter for Manchester United.
I am confident that Onana will be able to overcome these challenges. He is a talented goalkeeper with a lot of potential, and I am excited to see how he performs at Manchester United.
