Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd defence warned over Andre Onana antics as former star claims ‘I would have stuck with De Gea’
Ben Foster has fired a warning to Manchester United’s defence ahead of the new season after commenting on the club’s decision to replace David de Gea with Andre Onana.
The Red Devils snapped up Cameroon international Onana in a deal worth £47million from Serie A giants Inter Milan after a lengthy chase for the 27-year-old.
Erik ten Hag made it very clear that he wanted a more modern sweeper-keeper who is better in possession and able to play out from the back.
That led to De Gea not accepting the extra year on offer from his contract and walking away in a free transfer, with Onana now preparing to start the new campaign as the club’s No.1
And while former Old Trafford stopper Foster, who is now at Wrexham, believes it was ‘probably’ right for United to snap up Onana he also raised concerns over the new arrival and would have liked to have seen De Gea to stay on for another season.
“He’s obviously a very, very modern goalkeeper and that’s what it is nowadays,” Foster told The United Stand when asked about Onana.
“If Manchester United wanted to improve and progress, they had to sign Onana. That’s the way that it goes and it’s as simple as that.
“Whether or not the players around him are ready for that and be able to deal with constantly playing out from the back and him stepping up, acting like a real sweeper-keeper…
“I’ve seen the way he plays and he’s super high up, comfortably comes running out [of goal] with the ball. That remains to be seen [if his team-mates are ready for that]. It’ll be an interesting one but I do think it’s the right move, probably.”
De Gea deserved one more season
And while Onana has now taken over the mantle from De Gea, Foster would have liked to have seen his old club keep faith with De Gea for one more season – although the Spaniard could now be on the brink of a sensational move.
He added: “Personally, I would have stuck with David for another season. He had that year extension so he could have stayed. £47m could have been better spent elsewhere. But it is what it is, we have to move forward and it is probably a good signing.
“David has done such a good job because there is so much pressure and expectation when you play in goal for United. It’s a really hard job.
“If you can guarantee a 6/10 or 7/10 [performance] every week like David did, that is worth its weight in gold. Onana is a very confident player, I’ve seen him doing Cruyff turns and this kind of stuff.
“But it will only take one or two for him to get caught out. Then it makes you start thinking maybe you shouldn’t do that. Hopefully he hits the ground running but it’s not as easy as that sometimes.”
Onana and United are back in action on Wednesday evening when they take on Real Madrid on their US tour.