ANDRE ONANA: THE 'PLUS ONE' AT THE

BACK

Every football transfer inspires excitement. But few signings in United history can have

aroused more intrigue than Andre Onana.

Each player brings something unique, but this is something more.
Yes, the Cameroonian is wildly talented, replete with the kind of huge, confident
personality that many deem essential at Old Trafford. But that could be said of many
United acquisitions.

The reason Onana will have every Red buzzing is simple: his fluency with the ball could
be the key ingredient in the creation of a United team like no other.

That may sound hyperbolic. But anyone who watched Erik ten Hag’s Ajax or the recent
Champions League final – where Onana shone despite Internazionale’s 1-0 defeat – will
appreciate how a technically gifted goalkeeper can expand a football team’s
parameters.

“Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets,” explained the manager, when
asked about the club’s pursuit of a player he once described as “masterful”.

“The capabilities of a keeper is [about] keeping the goal clean. So this is the first
criterion of a good goalkeeper. But nowadays football also demands good playing from
the back, out-playing qualities, and that is a quality Andre has. You need to cover both
areas.”