Has Andre Onana Been An Upgrade On David De Gea For Man Utd?

Not even Andre Onana could deny the damage caused by his blunder as Manchester United suffered a 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich. Up until the moment Onana allowed a tame Leroy Sane shot to squeeze through his hands, United had looked comfortable. By full time, though, they were anything but.

Manchester United are struggling badly for momentum this season. They have won just two of their opening five fixtures in the Premier
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League and have now started their Champions League campaign with a defeat. Erik ten Hag is facing a number of different problems with injuries to a number of key players particularly harmful.

Onana’s form has also been the subject of much discussion. Brought in for €55m from Inter to replace David de Gea, the Cameroonian international was meant to improve Manchester United as a possession team, and there have been signs of his ability on the ball. But are United a better team as a whole for having Onana?

“I have to learn from it and be strong. I have a lot to prove,” Onana openly admitted after the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich which stemmed from his mistake in the first half of the match. “My start in Manchester hasn’t been so good, not how I want. This was one of my worst games.”

This wasn’t the first time Onana had looked vulnerable as Manchester United’s new first-choice goalkeeper either. He was fortunate not to concede a penalty kick in the opening match of the Premier League season after wiping out a Wolves defender without getting anywhere near the ball.

His stumble helped Taiwo Awoniyi find the back of the net for Nottingham Forest in United’s second home game of the season and the former Inter goalkeeper might have done better in saving Declan Rice’s crucial goal for Arsenal in a 3-1 win for the Gunners before the latest international break.

Onana was even partly at fault for Joao Pedro’s strike finding the back of the net in Brighton’s 3-1 win at Old Trafford, but his mistake in allowing Sane to score for Bayern Munich was his worst one yet. It played a big role in changing the dynamic of a match Manchester United looked well set up for.

While Onana has been questioned as a shot-stopper, he outperformed his Expected Goals Against by 7.8 goals for Inter in the Champions League last season – more than any other goalkeeper in the competition. He is better at keeping the ball out of his net than he has shown for Manchester United to date.

Those who claim de Gea wouldn’t have made the same mistakes Onana has made this season have clearly forgotten how error-prone the Spaniard was towards the end of his time at Old Trafford. It might take some time for Onana to settle in his new surroundings. He could still come good.