Brutal! Man Utd No.1 Andre Onana told weaknesses are ‘abilities as a goalkeeper’ after error-strewn start to life as David de Gea’s successor
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The Onana A.Manchester UnitedLeague Premier David de Gea
After having a rough start to his Manchester United career, Andre Onana was cruelly informed that his “abilities as a goalkeeper” are his shortcomings.
Though not convinced in English football, Cameroonian secured a large contract with Inter, with rumors of the return of a Spanish star.
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WHAT HAPPENED?
After a £48 million ($60 million) agreement with Serie A powerhouse Inter was pushed through, the Cameroon international was signed by the Red Devils during the summer transfer window. With David de Gea serving his final season in goal at Old Trafford, Onana was thought to be the ideal replacement.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Onana’s talent to play the ball has always been undeniable, but his troubles to stop shots from the opposition from going through his net are coming under scrutiny. Several expensive errors have been committed, which has led some to speculate that Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper, David De Gea, would return as a free agent.
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WHAT THEY SAID
After spending two Premier League titles with the Red Devils, former United defender Paul Parker expressed his disapproval of Onana to SpilXperten, saying the 27-year-old is not living up to the hype: “Andre Onana’s weaknesses have to be his abilities as a goalkeeper, especially his ability to save the balls, his shot stopper abilities and his handling.” It bounces off him and he is unpredictable. He never controls his saves. It’s a narrative I hope David De Gea will tell, how he suddenly realizes how English football is played. I really don’t understand why everyone continues telling me how fantastic he was for Inter Milan. There is less fervor in Italian football than
Parker went on, “Onana is not a goalkeeper you can rely on the way David De Gea was.” I worry if David De Gea will ever play well for Manchester United, but his thinking was correct. His advantages… In actuality, what are his strengths? I am not sure. Even if everyone expected him to be on that level with his feet, it has to be the case that he is actually rather confident when he is throwing the ball, but he is still far from Ederson or Allison. He is undoubtedly experiencing far greater physical and mental difficulties than he did in Italy.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Parker said of United’s former No. 1 and four-time Theatre of Dreams Player of the Year winner David De Gea: “People were very cynical and disrespectful to David De Gea because he was better at saving balls than playing as an outfield player, but we have to say that Onana is not that good with his feet.” Parker made these remarks amid rumors that De Gea might be offered a path back to Old Trafford. He may be above average, and if people were praising him for his footwork even if he hasn’t performed much better than what he has thus far, that tells me a lot. Onana had a weak back four in front of him, as I believe everyone can see, but De Gea has
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