Why Manchester United must keep faith in Andre Onana despite controversial moments – Man United News And Transfer News

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As Manchester United’s new first-choice goalkeeper, Andre Onana’s arrival at Old Trafford is undoubtedly one of the club’s most important transfers this summer.

While a talented shot-stopper who appears to be a better fit for Erik ten Hag’s system of play than more traditional keepers, the 27 year old has already stirred up some controversy since arriving at the club in July.

During Man United’s opening Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Onana came close to giving away a penalty when he clashed with Craig Dawson and Sasa Kalajdzic while jumping to claim a loose ball.

In United’s 3-2 comeback victory against Nottingham Forest, the Cameroonian played a large part in allowing Taiwo Awonyini to score the opener, as while he initially rushed out to face the striker one-on-one, he then backtracked, almost remaining stuck in place as the Forest striker slotted the ball into the net.

Such errors have led to criticism from the likes of pundit Graeme Souness.

But even with these lapses of focus and lack of judgement, should United be worried about whether Onana can be trusted?

Starting with the 1-0 win over Wolves, Onana proved to be one of United’s strongest players in what was a low-energy team performance.

On route to his clean sheet, the 27 year old made six saves, while winning his only duel and making a successful runout. (Sofascore)

Throughout his Premier League debut, the Cameroonian exhibited confidence and took charge at the back, winning the Fans’ Man of the Match award despite his moment of VAR controversy.

When United slumped to a 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur the following game, it was actually their goalkeeper who stood out from the pack as one of the only Red Devils who put in a decent performance despite the disappointing scoreline.

Onana made five successful saves, including four from close range, while his 22 passes and four long balls showed his ability to effectively contribute to his team’s attacking buildup.

Conceding two goals, the shot-stopper’s performance against Forest in the last match was arguably his weakest to date, however, he did manage to pull off two saves and complete 14 of his 20 attempted passes. (Sofascore)

On a performance basis, one cannot reasonably express concern over Onana as his underlying statistics have remained consistently decent, with the strong points of the player’s game such as his saves, passing, and long balls far outweighing his moments of grave error.

Reflecting on a personality basis, while Onana has proven resistant to change as was exhibited in his fallout with Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, this was largely due to his desire to play his modern style of game rather than revert to a traditional goalkeeping role as Song demanded.

He is inherently better suited and more willing to play in Ten Hag’s transitional system, even if there are some kinks to be ironed out.

United have had an inconsistent start to the new season, and it only seems fair to allow the team as well as Onana some time to find their groove before passing judgement on the talented shot-stopper.

What’s more, two brief moments of error do not provide the likes of Souness with sufficient justification to criticise Onana’s suitability for United.

Fans as well as the club will do well to allow Onana the time he needs to flourish at Old Trafford before jumping to rash conclusions.