In his first two seasons at Manchester United Andre Onana has struggled in one of the hardest positions in world football, the number one choice goalkeeper at United comes with amounting pressure when not performing and came to the realisation of that last season.
Since the Cameroonian joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2023, he has kept only 18 clean sheets in 72 games. United finished 15th last season and prior to that they finished 8th in the Premier League in the 23/24 season.
These numbers may not be completely down to Onana with the defence also leaking goals, but he does have to take responsibility for the 148 goals that he has conceded whilst being in net.
The reason why Manchester United will not bring a new goalkeeper in is because other positions are the priority in this summer transfer window. As highlighted in United’s spending so far, two 10s have been crucial for Ruben Amorim to get in, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo set to be the Portuguese’s go to men for next season.
Two other positions are a precedence for United in this window, with reports stating that Amorim is keen on getting an athletic box to box midfielder through the door, along with the never-ending saga of United trying to find a starting striker for next season.
The current feeling in Onana’s camp is that he is very calm and not worried about the reported situation of being sold, even with his newly found hamstring injury that will keep him out for pre-season.
United fans originally thought that Onana was brought in by former United manager, Erik ten Hag because of his ability on the ball and that is partially true, but after more information came out from United, it was found that Onana was brought in because Ten Hag thought his short passing ability was key to playing out the back.
Amorim has not made it clear how he wants Onana to play so far during his reign, but from a fans point of view, many United supporters don’t think the number 24 should still be Amorim’s go to man next season.
On multiple occasions this past season Amorim told Onana to slow down the play in parts of the game where he thought United were being too frantic and were in a rush to get a goal to equalise. This caused the Old Trafford faithful to jeer and boo Onana a handful of times, as in most of the games United were down by a goal or more.
The goalkeeper was pictured waving his hands in one game to the home fans when being booed. This could either be a rooted problem at United or a Amorim and Onana problem.
Historically, United have thrived off games being frantic and their fans have always been of the mindset and approach to go gung-Ho and in some cases go all-out attack when losing. Making a fast-paced environment at home where opposition teams would generally fold, and in cases where the away side would not buckle, United fans would always be glad their team went for the win by any means necessary.
That sudden change of approach will take time to get used to even if Onana is still at the club in the future, but with his incapability to be good in 1v1 situations and being very prone to occasional errors. Is he the right man in goal to start for the biggest club in England?
Which goalkeepers could replace Onana if he was to leave United?
John Victor:
The first goalkeeper on this list was a standout performer in the ClubWorld Cup, for Brazilian side Botafogo. The 29-year-old stands at 6ft 5inch and has a very interesting £6 million release clause, which clubs across Europe including United are closely considering.
Victor is very good at passing long, with a long pass rate of 53.4 per cent. There have been some comparisons to Ederson but even so, he still has 12.3 per cent better long pass rate than Victor. Another side note is that the Botafogo number 12 has the capabilities to dominate aerially, something which Onana has lacked since at United.
He has kept 33 clean sheets out of 80 games during his two-year spell at the club, however it is seen that if John did sign for United, it would be as a back-up goalkeeper to Onana and replace Altay Bayindir.
Emiliano Martinez:
Aston Villa’s world-class shot stopper kept the same number of clean sheets as Onana last season, with nine. If the Argentinian was to leave Villa, that would help the Midlands side out in their financial fight with PSR, but the 2022 World Cup winner does have four years left on his current contract, which he resigned last season, where he is reportedly on £150,000 a week. As United change their approach to player wages this would not seem the right move from a financial point of view.
From a playing side, he is one of the best shot stoppers in the Premier League and has also proved in the league how reliable and commanding he is in net. Villa reportedly value Martinez at over £40 million, but like the point that was made before, are United that desperate to get a goalkeeper in for a high price?
Andriy Lunin:
Real Madrid’s number two behind Thibaut Courtois, has been a good addition to the setup at Real Madrid when filling in for when Courtois was injured. Only aged 26-years-old the Ukrainian has spent seven seasons at Los Blancos and will surely be looking to be the main man at a club elsewhere.
In La Liga, when called upon he has been a reliable shot stopper and has proven it in big games, like against Manchester City in the quarter finals of the Champions League in a penalty shootout in 2024. Reports are valuing Lunin at 25 million euros, which seems a more feasible price that United would spend on a goalkeeper in their current spending situation.
Lucas Chevalier:
Chevalier is a very good shot stopper, but he can match that along with his great distribution of the ball and has said that it is his “dream” to play in the Premier League one day. The Frenchman won Ligue 1 goalkeeper of the season in 24/25 after keeping 13 clean sheets in 48 games.
The 23-year-old has also been called up to the French senior squad. If United were to buy the high in demand keeper, it would cost them in the region of £35 million up to £50 million. Paris Saint Germain are interested along with Aston Villa, if Martinez does leave the club.
Senne Lammens:
The young Belgian is known for his commanding presence in the box as well as good ball playing skills, very much the modern-day goalkeeper. The 22-year-old, however, has only kept 10 clean sheets in 41 matches for Royal Antwerp last season in the league. But Antwerp’s number one has an impressive record of having played 60 games at the club and only conceded 82 goals.
After impressing in the Belgian Pro League, he earned a call up to the Belgium national team earlier this year. All of the big hitters in Europe are looking at him, having been recommended off the back of scouting reports from numerous scouts based in Europe. It is expected that Antwerp would demand a fee between £20-30 million, but United might be able to strike a cheaper deal because of their relationship under Sir Alex Ferguson, when United would send younger players out on loan to gain valuable first team experience.