"I've seen enough of him" - Manchester United backed to get rid of 27-year-old star next summer by Chris Sutton
BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton has backed Manchester United to sign a new goalkeeper after Andre Onana's poor start to his Old Trafford tenure.
Onana joined the Red Devils this summer for a reported transfer fee of £47.2 million. He had an impressive 2022-23 campaign with Inter Milan, keeping 19 clean sheets in 41 appearances, helping the club reach the UEFA Champions League final.
Erik ten Hag and Co. controversially decided to release club legend David de Gea as a free agent in order to sign Onana, due to the latter's superior distribution. However, the 27-year-old has failed to impress so far.
Onana was fortunate not to get sent off on his Premier League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was also guilty of making massive mistakes in back-to-back Champions League games as Manchester United lost to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
As quoted by Mail Online, Sutton said (via Daily Mirror):
“I think he's a downgrade on De Gea. I really do. I've seen enough of him. Is he better than De Gea with his feet? Probably, only just. But I'm more interested in him keeping the ball out the back of the net and I think he's made a lot of blunders this season. A lot of goalkeeping errors."
He added:
“You go to the game against Bayern Munich, a couple of errors, and even the game this week [against Galatasaray] where I thought the third goal, he went down so early. I'm not so sure about him. I think Manchester United will make a change. I'm not saying this season but I think at the end of the season they need to get an upgrade on Onana.”
While Onana has kept three clean sheets in 10 appearances so far, he has also conceded a mammoth 18 goals in the other seven games - a worrying statistic for the Old Trafford faithful.
United also Altay Bayindir from Fenerbache as a backup shot-stopper. Ten Hag may be forced to give him a chance, should Onana's struggles continue.
Did Manchester United make a mistake in replacing David de Gea?
David de Gea left Manchester United as a free agent on July 1 after negotiations over a new contract broke down. He left as the Red Devils' seventh-highest appearance-maker in the club's history. Let's take a look at the impact he had at the club during his 12-year tenure at the club.
The 32-year-old made 545 appearances across all competitions, keeping 190 clean sheets - the most in the club's history. He also flourished last season, keeping 17 clean sheets in the Premier League, winning the Golden Glove award in the process.
The Spaniard won eight trophies during his time at the club, including the Premier League. Despite being known for being weak with his feet, he was a world-class shot-stopper. Manchester United may have made a significant error in releasing him prematurely, especially with Andre Onana struggling in his place.