World-Class Rising Star: The Remarkable Journey of Andre Onana from Ajax to Man Utd's Radar

Onana's performance in the Champions League final for Inter took Man City manager Pep Guardiola by surprise, as he displayed skills akin to those of a holding midfielder. This left us facing difficulties, considering the potential that Onana holds in becoming Manchester United's future first-choice goalkeeper.

It's a significant accolade from a trailblazing manager who introduced the concept of a ball-playing goalkeeper. Guardiola's utilization of Victor Valdes at Barcelona was perceived as groundbreaking in 2009. This influence can now be observed throughout the Premier League.

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Pep Guardiola consoles Onana after Man City's Champions League final win over Inter

David De Gea, who showcased his inadequate footwork on several occasions last season, has declared his departure from Old Trafford after spending 12 seasons at the club. This decision consequently opens up an opportunity for Onana to join Manchester United. The club is actively negotiating with the Italian team to secure a deal for the talented Cameroon player, and the agreement is progressing towards its final stages.

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Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag seems to have once again sought the assistance of a player he has previously collaborated with. Onana, who had previously played under Ten Hag at Ajax, was part of the team that secured three league titles and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019. However, what is the reason behind Ten Hag's strong desire to reunite with his former goaltender?

According to Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan of We News, he is likely to be the most outstanding goalkeeper that Man Utd will acquire for an extended period. His skill on the ball is precisely what made him highly regarded at Ajax, with some of his entertaining moments being both amusing and impressive.

Onana, who joined Ajax at the age of 18 following his departure from Barcelona, faced initial doubts regarding his playing style. However, the astute observation of iconic Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar recognized a unique talent within the young prodigy.

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Edwin van der Sar was a mentor to Onana at Ajax

"He was excessively self-assured in the early stages of his career," Van der Kraan mentioned in regards to Onana. "Edwin van der Sar, on the other hand, had complete faith in him. A few scouts at Ajax were hesitant to approach him due to concerns about his unpredictable and deceptive behavior.

"However, Van der Sar insisted, 'We must sign this young talent; he is destined for greatness'. From the moment Onana joined Ajax, he has enjoyed immense triumph."

After serving a nine-month ban from football due to mistakenly consuming a prohibited substance, Onana has excelled since his departure from the Eredivise. The Champions League final served as the ideal platform to showcase his immense talent.

Van der Kraan mentioned, "There is now a greater composure in his play, evident by the build-up he displayed in the Champions League final." While Onana possesses the versatility to play as a sweeper, full-back, or midfielder, it is best to utilize him as a goalkeeper, where his skills truly shine.

Onana is often labeled as eccentric by some fans, but there is always method to his madness. Finding a goalkeeper like him is a rare occurrence. Onana possesses an unmatched level of self-assurance. Should United manage to acquire him, their fans will undoubtedly adore him. Even prior to the Champions League final, Guardiola acknowledged Onana's capabilities and recognized how they could potentially pose a threat to City.

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Guardiola recognized Onana as one of Inter's greatest assets ahead of the Champions League final. "Deploying a high press against Onana, the goalkeeper, proves to be extremely challenging," Guardiola stated. "Properly pressing the goalkeeper is not feasible. Inter has outstanding mastery in ball possession."

If you watched Man Utd last season, you would have seen that De Gea was not adept at resisting pressure from the opposition. His lack of confidence when in possession only encouraged opposing teams to press. A prime example of this was Brentford's 4-0 victory against Man Utd at the Gtech last August.

Ten Hag is determined to initiate play from the defensive line, and there were noticeable improvements in his first season, largely attributed to the addition of Lisandro Martinez at centre-back. However, De Gea's difficulties with ball control and decision-making hindered the team's progress.

As demonstrated in June's FA Cup final defeat against Man City, United has shown predictability when faced with strong pressure. Both De Gea's distribution and shot-stopping were questionable during that match, leaving Ten Hag to witness exactly what he is missing in City's substitute goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega.

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David De Gea was criticised for his performance in the FA Cup final

Guardiola compared United to Inter, highlighting their different playing styles. While United plays with a long ball strategy, Inter focuses on keeping possession and distributing the ball. Guardiola emphasized the need to consider these factors when strategizing against Inter, acknowledging their strength in ball control and their qualification for the Champions League final.

At the heart of that is a goalkeeper brimming with confidence.

What do the stats say?

Guardiola highlighted Onana's role resembling that of a holding midfielder during the Champions League final against City. His exceptional ball-handling skills have garnered attention from potential buyers.

Below are the passing networks illustrating Onana's usual approach from the back, with three central defenders stationed ahead of him. He frequently opts for longer passes to the defensive midfielder when trying to bypass the opposition's pressing, or alternatively seeks out the full-backs on the flanks.

The following visual representations illustrate the results and distances covered for each goal-kick executed by De Gea and Onana during the previous season in the Premier League and Champions League, correspondingly. These graphs exemplify Onana's notable proficiency in delivering accurate passes towards the defensive-midfield region, apart from showcasing his impressive success rate in launching long-distance balls towards the forward players.

Indeed, the passing sonars below reveal how Onana is more effective at finding team-mates in almost every direction.

Combining all of that information, the table below effectively showcases Onana's exceptional passing skills: he outperforms the Spanish goalkeeper in nearly every passing aspect, except for De Gea's knack for launching goal-kicks significantly further down the field.

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Shot-stopping

Onana emerged as a shining star throughout the previous Champions League season, leading his team until their loss to Manchester City in the final. A remarkable moment occurred when he made a remarkable double save in the victorious 1-0 match against Porto, who also showcased their talented goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Furthermore, the Cameroon national played a crucial role in the first-leg triumph, a 2-0 victory against their fierce rivals AC Milan. This pitted him against the highly sought-after French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Onana's exceptional performance during Inter's European campaign is illustrated in the scatter graph below. Among goalkeepers who played a minimum of 360 minutes, only Ederson had a higher save percentage and clean-sheet ratio. Additionally, Onana outperformed all other goalkeepers in terms of preventing goals, as indicated by the xG statistics.

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Top clubs have been monitoring the 27-year-old for a while, but his impressive displays on Europe's biggest stage have further elevated his reputation. How does he compare to De Gea, the goalkeeper whose position he would likely assume?

De Gea concluded his 12-year tenure at Old Trafford by winning the Golden Glove, having kept 17 clean sheets in the previous Premier League season.

While De Gea performed admirably, Onana outperformed him in terms of conceding fewer goals per 90 minutes and boasting a higher save percentage in Serie A. However, De Gea faced a slightly higher workload, managed more clean sheets, and achieved a superior goal-prevention rate, as indicated by xG.

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When visualised against all goalkeepers in Europe's top five leagues, both stoppers rank among the absolute best for preventing shots from close range and keeping clean sheets.

However, in contrast to De Gea, Onana not only sits among the top five percent in terms of successful pass frequency and the ability to prevent costly errors, but he also exhibits greater proficiency in stopping long-range shots.

The image below illustrates the precise placement of every accurate shot that De Gea faced throughout the previous Premier League season, exposing his overall effectiveness. Notably, it comes as no surprise that his weakest point lies in saving shots aimed low and high in both corners of the goal.

Onana's goalmouth save locations below suggest he is superior at saving attempts low in the corners - but shipped all four shots struck high in the corners.

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