According to former Man Utd defender Paul Parker, Andre Onana's weakness is his ability to save and his footwork is only above average.
"Onana's weaknesses are his goalkeeping skills, especially his ability to save the ball, his ability to block and handle the ball with his hands. Onana is erratic and never controls his saves, often letting the ball bounce," Parker - a former defender who played for Man Utd from 1991-1996 - told SpilXperten on November 17.
Goalkeeper Onana holds his head after a mistake in the 2-3 loss to Galatasaray at Old Trafford on October 4. Photo: AP
In the summer of 2023, Man Utd parted ways with David de Gea - the team's most senior player, to recruit Onana for 62 million USD. Onana is a modern goalkeeper, outstanding in his ability to pass the ball with his feet, expected to help Man Utd improve their ability to deploy the ball from home.
The Cameroon goalkeeper has shown this strength when helping Man Utd control the ball better, but has received much criticism for his ability to block with his hands. The "Red Devils" have conceded 16 goals in 12 matches in the Premier League, only behind Aston Villa with 17 goals conceded in the Top 7. In the Champions League, Man Utd is at the bottom of the table with three points, scoring nine goals but conceding 11 times and is at risk of being eliminated early.
According to Parker, Onana is highly regarded for his footwork, but is far behind Ederson of Man City or Alisson Becker of Liverpool - the two goalkeepers most highly regarded in the Premier League for this skill. The former England centre-back does not know what Onana's strengths are, and believes that the Man Utd goalkeeper is struggling both mentally and physically, more than when he played for Inter Milan.
"De Gea is a goalkeeper you can trust, Onana is not," Parker added. "I hope he can do like De Gea, when he gets used to English football. People keep telling me how great Onana was at Inter but I don't see it. Italian football is not as tough as English football and Onana has more challenges than he did in Italy."
Parker was born in 1964, played as a full-back for Man Utd from 1991-1996, winning five titles with the club, including two Premier League championships in 1993 and 1994.
Parker went on to defend De Gea, saying the Spaniard was being criticised and disrespected for being better at saving shots than with his feet. He also said Onana was only above average with his feet, as he showed at Old Trafford. "People might say Onana had a poor back four in front of him, but so did De Gea. De Gea did what he did, and Onana never came close to doing that," Parker added.
Since leaving Man Utd, De Gea has not found a new destination. He is expected to return to Old Trafford in January 2024 on a short-term contract, when Onana and Cameroon compete in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). If De Gea is not recruited, coach Erik ten Hag has two options: Tom Heaton and Altay Bayindir.
Hong Duy
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