Man Utd played impressively against Galatasaray in the 5th match of Group A of the 2023/2024 Champions League. However, the English team still lost points and the person to blame was Andre Onana.
"Smart at home, stupid in the market"
In the first two goals conceded by Man Utd, Onana clearly did not do well. This was a completely personal problem, because Galatasaray's goals came from free kicks. In the 29th minute, Hakim Ziyech's shot was not strong or dangerous, but Onana misjudged and did not observe well enough to block it.
In the next situation, Ziyech's shot was even worse than the previous one, but Onana's mistake was more serious. He reacted slowly again, fumbled and let the ball bounce into the goal.
Onana was at fault for Man Utd's second goal.
Just counting in the European Cup 1 this season, Andre Onana made 4 mistakes, causing Man Utd to lose 4 points directly. If the 5th round ended with 8 points instead of 4 points like now, Man Utd's situation would not be as bad as it is now.
This is in stark contrast to Onana’s current form in the Premier League. The Cameroonian goalkeeper had a rocky start but has since settled down. His fouls have been absent in recent games.
Man Utd becoming the team with the best points in the Premier League in the last 6 rounds has a great contribution from Andre Onana. The "Red Devils" goalkeeper is the one with the most clean sheets in the tournament so far (5 matches).
Do good defenders help Man Utd increase their clean sheet rate? Not necessarily. Only Wes Foderingham (Nottingham Forest) made more saves than Onana. Recently, in the win over Everton, Man Utd let their opponents launch... 22 shots but still kept a clean sheet.
However, at the moment when Man Utd fans trusted Onana the most, this goalkeeper made a mistake. Worse, Onana's mistakes could completely cost the "Red Devils" by being eliminated from the European arena.
Strange option with De Gea
Every time Andre Onana makes a mistake, a part of Man Utd fans mention David de Gea. This goalkeeper just said goodbye to Old Trafford at the end of the 2022/2023 season. Coach Erik ten Hag is said to be dissatisfied with his student's ability to develop the ball with his feet. However, De Gea's reflexes and blocking skills are still among the best in the world.
Could De Gea return to Man Utd?
In October 2023, David de Gea unexpectedly returned to Manchester. It is strange that David de Gea could not find a suitable new team. The high salary is probably the reason why the 33-year-old goalkeeper is "unemployed". However, there has been information about Saudi Arabian and Qatari clubs contacting De Gea. It seems that the Spanish goalkeeper is still "attached" to top football in Europe.
In this situation, signing a short-term contract with De Gea is a scenario that many Man Utd fans think of. Even the Old Trafford team can completely consider the option of only using De Gea in the cup arena, where Andre Onana has not created a sense of security and Man Utd also does not have a good reserve goalkeeper.
Some clubs have done this when they have two quality goalkeepers. Barcelona have assigned Claudio Bravo to La Liga and Marc Andre ter Stegen to the Champions League. In Europe, De Gea's experience in dealing with pressure and making saves is still useful for Man Utd. Signing De Gea in the short term is also not very expensive.
However, if they want to re-hire David de Gea for exclusive use in Europe, Man Utd must ensure that they do not get eliminated early, at least keeping their place in the Europa League. Currently, the "Red Devils" are at the bottom of the table.
Mai Phuong
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