"The grass is never greener on the other side" - Former Manchester United star on Ten Hag's decision to replace De Gea with Andre Onana
Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke reckons manager Erik ten Hag risks himself looking like a fool if he continues to back the error-prone Andre Onana.
Onana, 27, arrived at Old Trafford this summer on a €51 million move from Inter Milan but has been a bundle of nerves, making high-profile errors galore. He has played all 11 games for the club across competitions this season but has kept just three clean sheets and conceded a whopping 19 goals.
The Cameroon international was believed to be an upgrade on the club's long-serving custodian David de Gea, owing to his superior ball-playing ability. De Gea was allowed to leave on a free transfer this summer, but Onana is far from convincing fans of his quality with his series of mistakes.
Yorke, who played for Manchester United between 1998 and 2002, told investment data analysis platform Stocklytics (via Metro) about Onana:
"They always say the grass is never greener on the other side. I told everybody that they should be careful what they wish for! ‘Managers are there to make tough decisions, and they have their own ideas on who they select in their team. Ten Hag made the decision to get rid of De Gea and bring in Onana."
Dissecting Onana's game, Yorke said that it's a massive 'risk', elaborating:
"If you study Onana, and I’m sure Ten Hag did, you’ll see there’s a massive risk with the way he plays – especially in the English game. It’s totally different, and you thought Onana would have known that by now. There are a lot of crosses and a lot of passes in and around the box, and you need a goalkeeper who can handle those situations."
Citing on the need for a 'keeper to play out from the back, the Manchester United legend termed it 'high-risk, high-reward'. Yorke, though, admitted that the team's goalkeeping aspect has left a lot to be desired:
"Yes, you need a ‘keeper who wants to play out from the back, and that’s Onana’s philosophy. It’s high-risk, high reward. It’s brilliant when it works, but when it doesn’t, it looks like the manager has got his selection totally wrong. It’s clear to see that the goalkeeping department has been a massive struggle for United.
Urging Ten Hag to stop backing Onana blindly, Yorke concluded:
"Managers can look like the fool sometimes by bringing someone in who doesn’t work. I was at the club when Sir Alex brought Massimo Taibi into the side, and he didn’t quite work out. The manager did, however, realise that very quickly. I’m not sure if Ten Hag will do that, or if he’s stubborn enough to back Onana. We don’t know."
Manchester United's 2023-24 season so far
Manchester United have had a hugely underwhelming season so far. Erik ten Hag's side have lost a whopping six times in 11 games across competitions this season.
It could have been seven losses in 11 games but for a Scott McTominay stoppage-time double that helped United to a last-gasp 2-1 Premier League home win over Brentford last fortnight.
Manchester United have 12 points from eight league games and are tenth in the standings, eight points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur. They have also lost their opening two UEFA Champions League games for the first time.