CARRAGHER IS RIGHT TO SLAM "POOR" 120K-P/W MAN UTD ACE, HE JUST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH

Much of the story at the start of Manchester United's 2024/25 Premier League campaign has been all too familiar to fans. One win, two defeats and a minus-four goal difference is what has come from Erik ten Hag's efforts at the start of the season. While many point the finger at the Dutchman's tactics, namely how he leaves players who lack mobility, such as Casemiro, exposed in attacks, there is arguably an even bigger problem that has been going under the radar for some time.

Andre Onana was one of the marquee names brought in during Ten Hag's second season, replacing long-time servant David de Gea. Having excelled at Inter Milan and worked for the 54-year-old previously at Ajax, the more modern goalkeeper was expected to revolutionise United's build-up play. However, it is his fundamentals between the sticks that have been letting him down.

Andre Onanas Strange Penalty Shootout Tactic During Man Utd vs Arsenal

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana raised eyebrows with his tactics during the penalty shootout against Arsenal.

Carragher Slams Onana's Goalkeeping Ability

While decent with his feet, the Cameroonian has been below par between the sticks

Criticism of Onana was commonplace last season, with the Cameroon international making a number of high-profile blunders throughout the first half of his debut season. However, things seemed to settle following the African Cup of Nations, where he was dropped by his national team during the competition.

When he came back to Old Trafford, the 28-year-old appeared more settled and less frantic. While mistakes were still apparent in his game, such as the one made for Jeremy Doku's goal in the FA Cup final, there were signs of the goalkeeper who managed to finish inside the top 25 of the Ballon d'Or rankings in 2023.

However, as the new season got underway, cracks were beginning to show again. It appeared as though Onana was finding himself caught out of position far too often, most notably with Mo Salah's strike against Liverpool, with the Egyptian having the entirety of the left-side of the goal to aim out due to how far across his opponent was. It is because of this, that Onana has once again found himself at the end of some flack from Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher. The former Liverpool pundit said in a recent edition of the overlap:

Andre Onana 'cannot be trusted' and is 'not an upgrade on De Gea' at Man Utd

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has shown signs of inconsistency since arriving at Old Trafford.

Andre Onana's 2023/24 Premier League Goalkeeping Statistics

Onana had to deal with a lot of pressure on his goal

During his first season at the club, Onana conceded 79 goals in all competitions, while the Red Devils conceded a total of 81, the highest in a single season in the club's history. In the Premier League, the Cameroonian let in 58 efforts, but did make 149 saves, leaving him with a save percentage of 71.43%.

In comparison to the man he replaced, it really does not make for good reading. In his final season at Old Trafford, David De Gea conceded 15 fewer goals in the league, while also recording 17 clean sheets and claiming his second Premier League Golden Glove. He made a total of 101 stops, managing a save percentage of 70%.

It was meant to be in his distribution that Onana was the far superior option. Yet, statistics show that the gap is not as wide as fans may have hoped it would be. Last season, United's number 24 managed a pass completion rate of 70.4% in the Premier League. While this does rank higher than De Gea in his final season at the club, it is not by a massive margin, as the Spaniard finished his final season in England's top division with a distribution score of 68.73%.

Andre Onana's Man United Stats vs David de Gea in His Final Season

David de Gea made a number of errors in his final year at Manchester United but it has been far from plain sailing for his successor Andre Onana.

Alternative Options for United

There are plenty of players who could be an improvement on Onana

Should the new recruitment team in place at the football club decide a new direction is needed in goal, then there are several possibilities out there. In the past, the Red Devils have been heavily linked with the likes of Diogo Costa from Porto, with the Portugal number one believed to have a release clause of around £65 million.

There is also the possibility of bringing in Yashine Trophy nominee Andriy Lunin from Real Madrid. The Ukranian was remarkable when called upon in the absence of Thibaut Courtois last season, and was touted with a possible switch to the North West of England after falling down the pecking order upon Courtois returning to fitness. The 25-year-old could be available on a free next summer and would command a much lower wage than the £120k p/w Onana currently pockets.