Man Utd news: Ten Hag tipped to take ruthless action on key position as pundit questions wisdom of huge summer decision
A report in Spain claims Manchester United may be already looking to replace goalkeeper Andre Onana following his shaky start to the season.
The 27-year-old moved to Old Trafford in the summer when United paid Inter Milan around £44m for his services. The Cameroon international had only been with the Nerazzurri for one season following his 2022 switch from Ajax. He won the Coppa Italia and reached the Champions League final with the San Siro giants.
And Red Devils chiefs clearly felt he was the man to replace David de Gea after the Spaniard’s exit.
De Gea opted to leave the Theatre of Dreams after 12 years and 545 games but has yet to sign for another club.
The north-west giants had been linked with a number of keepers when it became obvious that there would be a vacancy between the posts.
Porto’s Diogo Costa was among those mentioned but that plan was abandoned in early July. They eventually opted for Onana but the jury is still out on the African.
Erik ten Hag’s side have already conceded 10 goals and sit 13th in the table having won two and lost three games.
Former Watford striker Troy Deeney confessed that Onana is a player that ‘scares’ him, as he is not a ‘commanding figure’ at the back.
Spanish outlet Fichajes have taken things a step further, suggesting that Ten Hag’s ‘chosen one’ is already vulnerable to an exit.
The report adds that Onana ‘does not offer guarantees despite Ten Hag’s confidence and the club is thinking about safer options’.
Paul Parker questions Onana capture
It is said that Costa is now back on the club’s radar, although Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also keen.
And United are reportedly ready to ‘launch an offer close to €70m’ to ‘acquire’ his services.
Former Manchester United full-back Paul Parker believes the club’s management made a mistake in letting De Gea leave.
He is willing to give the new man more time to prove himself but is unsure he is the real deal.
“I can’t come out and say that I dislike Andre Onana because I don’t,” he told bettors.
“If we could go back in time, I would still have stuck with David De Gea. I still think he is a better goalkeeper.
“But that doesn’t make Onana a terrible goalkeeper. He is a good goalkeeper.”
The ex-England defender went on to question his basic skills but confessed that he is filling some big boots.
“I wish that he made more extraordinary saves. Sometimes I feel like he is a TV goalkeeper who makes easy saves look hard to make,” he added.
“It’s only four games and he will improve but people shouldn’t be picking him as the scapegoat or anything already.
“The tough part for him is that every time he makes a mistake, everyone will compare him to David De Gea who was one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time at Man United. That’s not a nice pressure to have on your shoulders.”
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