Man Utd might not be strengthening the position they really need to this summer.
Ruben Amorim wants to address Manchester United's goal-scoring issues this summer. He can't afford to be too fixated on that end of the pitch. It is true that if you score more goals than your opponent, you will win matches, but if United really want improvement in the Premier League, they must also become harder to score against.
United finished the season with a -10 goal difference and though most of that was down to a pathetic profligacy in the forward line, they also leaked goals regularly, without ever really being blown away at the back. A key part of that was down to their goalkeeper, who has struggled to convince in his first two seasons with the club.
There has been a lot of unnecessary David de Gea revisionism during Andre Onana's tenure, with it easy to forget just how poor the Spaniard was in his final couple of seasons with the club. Yet the reason it has gained so much traction is that Onana has been unable to establish himself as a clear improvement on what they had before.
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United looked to be signing one of the best goalkeepers in the world based on his final season at Inter Milan, with Pep Guardiola glowing in his praise of the 29-year-old prior to the Champions League final two years ago. He has produced some heroic performances during his time in Manchester, but so far, his spell has been defined by costly error more than his world-class double saves.
His two years at the club have seen Onana record the two highest average goal against figures and the lowest save percentage of any of his full professional seasons, while he also made three errors leading directly to goals in the Premier League alone last season. He might argue that those issues have been amplified by the wider failings of the team and the lack of protection he has had, but there can be no ignoring his own contribution to their poor defensive record either.
Despite all of that, he is still expected to get one more chance to prove himself at United. With the focus on refreshing their attack this summer, Amorim will not prioritise the addition of a new first-choice goalkeeper, even though he has some underlying doubts over the Cameroonian.
It is understood Onana wants to fight for his place at Old Trafford and prove his critics wrong, something that Amorim admires as he looks to improve the mentality and culture of the dressing room. The United head coach only wants to have players who are fully engaged with his project and that is not something their goalkeeper can be accused of lacking.
What is more likely is that United replace backup goalkeeper Altay Bayindir with a more suitable choice, someone who can challenge Onana for the starting spot, either to dislodge him or help inspire the improvement he is capable of. Depending on how that goes, United could then be in the market for a more established shot-stopper next year, or might be in a position where they no longer feel they need one anyway.
Of all the business United will do this summer, it could be a player they don't replace who defines it.
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