Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana has become Manchester United’s new number-one goalkeeper after moving to the English Premier League club from Inter Milan for £43.8 million. It will see him reunite with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.
🏆 #back2back pic.twitter.com/luI7mSfOHa
— Andre Onana (@AndreyOnana) May 25, 2023
Onana was named the Best African Goalkeeper in 2018. He helped Ajax to the Europa League final in 2017, while he reached the Champions League final earlier this year with Inter Milan. He departs the Italian club having won the Coppa Italia last season.
Ten Hag made the Cameroon international one of his primary targets in this summer’s transfer window. He is a goalkeeper who can play out from the back, a method the Dutchman will be keen to adopt now he has the 27-year-old shot-stopper.
United Hoping Onana Can Give Them a Lift
United is 11.0 in the online betting for the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. They are fourth best behind Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool respectively. Those looking to back ten Hag’s side can take advantage of a 100% deposit bonus with Bwin up to 2,000 ZMW ahead of the new season.
Manchester United showed clear progress last season in ten Hag’s first season at the club. They finished third in the Premier League standings which has helped them qualify back into the Champions League.
This is the second summer transfer window ten Hag has had at United and he will be hoping Onana can make a big difference in ensuring his side concede fewer goals. They had the joint third-best defensive record in the Premier League last season, but if they are to challenge for the title, that will need to improve.
The new United player joined up with his new teammates during their preseason tour of the United States, playing in games against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. With Harry Maguire stripped of the captaincy at the club, Onana is being tipped by some pundits as a player who can carry the armband one day.
End of Era for Outstanding De Gea
Onana has big shoes to fill at Manchester United as he will be replacing David de Gea next season. The Spaniard spent 12 years with the club, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Europa League during that period. The man who signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011 also won the Premier League Golden Glove on two occasions.
Champions League achieved under the lights of Old Trafford 🔴⚪⚫ pic.twitter.com/HKSd7cvplU
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) May 26, 2023
De Gea reached a very high level at Old Trafford where many pundits described him as the best goalkeeper in the world at various points of his spell in England. He played 545 times for the club, putting him seventh on the all-time appearances list, the highest-placed goalkeeper in the standings.
Before De Gea, Peter Schmeichel was another fan favorite at Manchester United. He won the Premier League five times during his spell between 1991 and 1999. With a five-year contract, Onana will be hoping to achieve something similar to what De Gea and Schmeichel did in Manchester.
Onana is expected to be in goal for Manchester United in their opening game of the 2023/24 Premier League season when they take on Wolves at Old Trafford on August 14.
