Andre Onana image 24

Andre Onana Cameroon flag

2023-24 Performances


View full 2023-24 profile

5.6 Season Average Rating
Appearances
51
Clean sheets
13
Goals
0
Assists
0
Yellow cards
6
Status
Not open for further replies.
Just a shambolic signing. Awful keeper. Where was the due diligence before we signed him? I'm glad he is going to the AFCON because he has been that bad. However, surely when you are looking to bring in a keeper, the fact that we lose him every two years mid season to the AFCON is a big reason not to sign him?
 
I'm an ex keeper too and I dont think he gets to play for for 4 massive clubs with fundamental falls in his technique as you described because that amounts to conceding goals more so than any other position.

His style like many non-European goalkeepers is different, not as pleasing on the eye. Brazil have two of the best now, but others before them very similar to him stylistically. I think non-European keepers especially the African keepers without generalising, are more explosive in how they keep the ball out the net.

I think whats going on in front of you has a massive impact on your decision making. A steady back four, rather than second guessing what players are doing, you know how the defence reacts to different situations.

I think when you arrive at PL, like every other position but arguable even more as a keeper, he wouldnt have played in a league like this where you are either constant under attack or your watch a team low block then quickly counter attack. We have seen him take up some strange positions when teams counter attack. Certainly wouldnt have faced this many crosses.

More than anything else, I think hes trying too hard to prove he can fill the gloves of DDG. Im sure no one would have thought the skinny white lad from Spain would end up being so great. Onana needs to be given more of a chance than half of a turbulent season of uncertainty in general.

Goalkeepering in this league takes a while to settle whilst you are coming to terms with it. We have a lot of new keepers who are making lots of mistakes. What I like about him is hes mentally strong and doesnt come across like the clubs to big for him.

Patience is needed even if aesthetically hes not as pleasing on the eye as DDG. He doing something right to have the second highest save %, and I think some really top saves are going under the radar. The save against the Villa at 2-1, where his weight was on the other foot, was outstanding. There was a save from a point blank header as well but I cant remember the game?

West Ham. Bowen header. That was a superb save.
 
I'm an ex keeper too and I dont think he gets to play for for 4 massive clubs with fundamental falls in his technique as you described because that amounts to conceding goals more so than any other position.

His style like many non-European goalkeepers is different, not as pleasing on the eye. Brazil have two of the best now, but others before them very similar to him stylistically. I think non-European keepers especially the African keepers without generalising, are more explosive in how they keep the ball out the net.

I think whats going on in front of you has a massive impact on your decision making. A steady back four, rather than second guessing what players are doing, you know how the defence reacts to different situations.

I think when you arrive at PL, like every other position but arguable even more as a keeper, he wouldnt have played in a league like this where you are either constant under attack or your watch a team low block then quickly counter attack. We have seen him take up some strange positions when teams counter attack. Certainly wouldnt have faced this many crosses.

More than anything else, I think hes trying too hard to prove he can fill the gloves of DDG. Im sure no one would have thought the skinny white lad from Spain would end up being so great. Onana needs to be given more of a chance than half of a turbulent season of uncertainty in general.

Goalkeepering in this league takes a while to settle whilst you are coming to terms with it. We have a lot of new keepers who are making lots of mistakes. What I like about him is hes mentally strong and doesnt come across like the clubs to big for him.

Patience is needed even if aesthetically hes not as pleasing on the eye as DDG. He doing something right to have the second highest save %, and I think some really top saves are going under the radar. The save against the Villa at 2-1, where his weight was on the other foot, was outstanding. There was a save from a point blank header as well but I cant remember the game?
I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I've just never seen a keeper at this level be so all over the place with some of the fundamentals and yes that includes previous brazillian 'unorthodox' goalkeepers.

I also feel your point about him needing time to adjust to the Premier league is undermined by the fact some of his worst errors and most shaky performances have been in the CL where you can pretty much say he scuppered our entire campaign.

Final point I'll take issue with is 'no one could have predicted what the skinny kid from Spain would become' because I absolutely did. I happened to see an Athletico vs Barca game, just randomly went on the streaming site when hungover and saw that match I decided to watch. DDG was amazing and I had been keeping an eye on him since then. I was over the moon when he signed and I believe I actually created this account to come to his defense over some of the rubbish I'd see spouted about him in his early days.

I dont think the two are comparable though; DDG came here as a raw but extremely talented GK. Onana has come here at pretty much his peak with a big reputation and yet I'm not seeing much to hang on to other than the occassional pinged long ball. Not enough for me.

Back when I'd be making the case for young DDG I would always say he has those things you can't teach; the reflexes, the spring, the almost gravity defying leaps at times. The hope was he just needed to improve on those things you'd thing should be able to be coached - coming from crosses, playing with his feet. OK arguably some aspects he never did fully master but you can't argue he didn't become a world class goalkeeper, often referred to as best in tbe world at times.

The defence is a mess, the whole team is a mess really but I don't think that's the reason for Onana being the shambles he has been. He's just another part of the mess, a large contributing factor in fact. You talk about the impact a shaky back four has on the keeper, what about the impact having a basket case goalkeeper is having on the rest of the team? Remember that time recently Dalot actually keepy-upped the ball over Onana - likely because he has absolutely no faith in him.

I dont care what the stats say about the amount of bread and butter saves he's made, it doesn't change what I've seen with my eyes.
 
XG won't tell you that much there, especially with the 2nd goal.
The amount of shots on target again won't tell you much because you can many different kinds of shots.
Look at the goals conceded, do you think he should be saving them? If no, then it's daft to blame him.

If he saves the 2nd it's probably labelled as a world class save, I don't think we should be putting blame on a keeper for not pulling off that level of save.
As I said repeatedly, the recurring theme with Onana is that while he’s not directly to blame, you have the right to expect that your keeper when facing only 2 shots on target doesn’t translate into 2 goals.
He made no save while Turner made 4. Sometimes that’s the difference between a win or a loss, and with Onana you don’t have that, or we didn’t have it enough.

So yes, I’m not blaming him but I expect from any keeper to keep you in games and let in any shot that is half difficult to make, which is basically the case with Onana, If it’s not an easy save, then he’s absolved of any wrongdoing.
I’m sorry but as the last line of defence, I expect a keeper to make difficult saves, and the shots he faced were not impossible to save. Difficult yes, but not impossible
 
West Ham. Bowen header. That was a superb save.
So I've went back to this one because I genuinely am looking for examples of top saves he's made but I don't think that one qualifies really. It's a good save but not one you wouldn't expect pretty much every PL goalkeeper to make. A header from outside the 6 yard box, aimed directly above his hands natural position. You'd absolutely be disappointed if he let that in.

I'm still open to more suggestions of top saves he's made because I genuinely can't think of any. Meanwhile he seems intent on speed running a top quality blooper reel.
 
I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I've just never seen a keeper at this level be so all over the place with some of the fundamentals and yes that includes previous brazillian 'unorthodox' goalkeepers.

I also feel your point about him needing time to adjust to the Premier league is undermined by the fact some of his worst errors and most shaky performances have been in the CL where you can pretty much say he scuppered our entire campaign.

Final point I'll take issue with is 'no one could have predicted what the skinny kid from Spain would become' because I absolutely did. I happened to see an Athletico vs Barca game, just randomly went on the streaming site when hungover and saw that match I decided to watch. DDG was amazing and I had been keeping an eye on him since then. I was over the moon when he signed and I believe I actually created this account to come to his defense over some of the rubbish I'd see spouted about him in his early days.

I dont think the two are comparable though; DDG came here as a raw but extremely talented GK. Onana has come here at pretty much his peak with a big reputation and yet I'm not seeing much to hang on to other than the occassional pinged long ball. Not enough for me.

Back when I'd be making the case for young DDG I would always say he has those things you can't teach; the reflexes, the spring, the almost gravity defying leaps at times. The hope was he just needed to improve on those things you'd thing should be able to be coached - coming from crosses, playing with his feet. OK arguably some aspects he never did fully master but you can't argue he didn't become a world class goalkeeper, often referred to as best in tbe world at times.

The defence is a mess, the whole team is a mess really but I don't think that's the reason for Onana being the shambles he has been. He's just another part of the mess, a large contributing factor in fact. You talk about the impact a shaky back four has on the keeper, what about the impact having a basket case goalkeeper is having on the rest of the team? Remember that time recently Dalot actually keepy-upped the ball over Onana - likely because he has absolutely no faith in him.

I dont care what the stats say about the amount of bread and butter saves he's made, it doesn't change what I've seen with my eyes.

Thats like saying I dont care a forward had the highest shots per goal %, they are all tap ins!!!

Strange comment from a keeper not caring about 'bread and butter' saves when thats exactly a keepers bread and butter!!! Conversely that was DDG's biggest problem, didnt make enough of them. Theres more to keeping that youtube highlights reels.

Onana might not be the answer or good enough but to suggest at 27 hes fundamentally falled after 5 years at Barca, Ajax, Inter and key to their CL final run and now Man Utd, is another level from a fan on a forum. Wow....
 
So I've went back to this one because I genuinely am looking for examples of top saves he's made but I don't think that one qualifies really. It's a good save but not one you wouldn't expect pretty much every PL goalkeeper to make. A header from outside the 6 yard box, aimed directly above his hands natural position. You'd absolutely be disappointed if he let that in.

I'm still open to more suggestions of top saves he's made because I genuinely can't think of any. Meanwhile he seems intent on speed running a top quality blooper reel.

Yep it seems only one other goalkeeper in the league is consistently making those bread and butter saves?
 
So I've went back to this one because I genuinely am looking for examples of top saves he's made but I don't think that one qualifies really. It's a good save but not one you wouldn't expect pretty much every PL goalkeeper to make. A header from outside the 6 yard box, aimed directly above his hands natural position. You'd absolutely be disappointed if he let that in.

I'm still open to more suggestions of top saves he's made because I genuinely can't think of any. Meanwhile he seems intent on speed running a top quality blooper reel.

You must be thinking about a different incident. The Bowen header wasn’t “directly above his hands”.

If you want an example of a really exceptional save then go with the one from Haaland in the derby.
 
We’ll never get back near the top with this clown.

No top team has a keeper that fecks up as often as him.
 
Thats like saying I dont care a forward had the highest shots per goal %, they are all tap ins!!!

Strange comment from a keeper not caring about 'bread and butter' saves when thats exactly a keepers bread and butter!!! Conversely that was DDG's biggest problem, didnt make enough of them. Theres more to keeping that youtube highlights reels.

Onana might not be the answer or good enough but to suggest at 27 hes fundamentally falled after 5 years at Barca, Ajax, Inter and key to their CL final run and now Man Utd, is another level from a fan on a forum. Wow....
My last post of the day you'll be glad to hear. There's clearly two camps here; those who think stats alone are enough to tell you every thing you need to know about a player and those who rely on what their eyes tell them.

The save percentage stats being posted here ad nauseum seems to be ignoring the fact that our current shambles of a team is obviously meaning our goalkeeper is going to be facing more shots. Its like a mate recently posting a head to head of AWB and Kyle Walker using the defensive stats to say AWB is the better right back.

I dont see any other top keeper make the comedy of errors Onana has already in his short time here. There is no stat totting up the number of simple saves Onana has made in the PL to change the fact he's an accident waiting to happen. It's not a couple of dodgy moments it's repeated errors in big games costings points and unequivocally our place in the CL.

My user name obviously suggests a bias towards DDG but I was sure the time was right for him to move on. He was costing us far too much in big moments just like Onana is now. I just hoped his replacement would be a clear improvement and not a whole other bag of frogs.

I'll leave my final post of the day with what I feel Onana's defenders are doing. Really bigging up the basics he does and ignoring the mess.

It's like when your kid is being toilet trained and you have to make a big deal about how great they were for pissing all over the toilet seat just because they didn't piss their pants for once.
 
As I said repeatedly, the recurring theme with Onana is that while he’s not directly to blame, you have the right to expect that your keeper when facing only 2 shots on target doesn’t translate into 2 goals.
He made no save while Turner made 4. Sometimes that’s the difference between a win or a loss, and with Onana you don’t have that, or we didn’t have it enough.
It depends entirely on the difficulty of the shots. Conceding two goals from two amazing shots is better than conceding two goals from four average shots, but by your definition here it'd be the opposite. Onana certainly has made some outright mistakes this season, and has also let in some other soft goals, but it's equally certain than some people are going overboard with pointing at most goals and saying he should have saved it.
 
What's he actually good at? I said ages ago I have no faith in him stopping shots. He slows down play unnecessarily passing it out.
 
You must be thinking about a different incident. The Bowen header wasn’t “directly above his hands”.

If you want an example of a really exceptional save then go with the one from Haaland in the derby.

This is the only top class save that I can think of that he's made.

As in the type of save where another keeper probably doesn't save it... other then that I'm struggling to be honest.
 
What's he actually good at? I said ages ago I have no faith in him stopping shots. He slows down play unnecessarily passing it out.

It’s completely fair game after a single match to be critical of Onana’s performances throughout the season, but on this occasion v Forest there was nothing he could do about either goal. McTominay feel asleep to the danger on both goals and left men wide open. The first goal was a virtual tap in to an open net, whereas the second goal required an outstanding finish.
 
It’s completely fair game after a single match to be critical of Onana’s performances throughout the season, but on this occasion v Forest there was nothing he could do about either goal. McTominay feel asleep to the danger on both goals and left men wide open. The first goal was a virtual tap in to an open net, whereas the second goal required an outstanding finish.

That's the problem isn't it? There's nothing HE could do about either goal... But there's probably something a better shot stopper could do about the second goal.
 
I'm an ex keeper too and I dont think he gets to play for for 4 massive clubs with fundamental falls in his technique as you described because that amounts to conceding goals more so than any other position.

His style like many non-European goalkeepers is different, not as pleasing on the eye. Brazil have two of the best now, but others before them very similar to him stylistically. I think non-European keepers especially the African keepers without generalising, are more explosive in how they keep the ball out the net.

I think whats going on in front of you has a massive impact on your decision making. A steady back four, rather than second guessing what players are doing, you know how the defence reacts to different situations.

I think when you arrive at PL, like every other position but arguable even more as a keeper, he wouldnt have played in a league like this where you are either constant under attack or your watch a team low block then quickly counter attack. We have seen him take up some strange positions when teams counter attack. Certainly wouldnt have faced this many crosses.

More than anything else, I think hes trying too hard to prove he can fill the gloves of DDG. Im sure no one would have thought the skinny white lad from Spain would end up being so great. Onana needs to be given more of a chance than half of a turbulent season of uncertainty in general.

Goalkeepering in this league takes a while to settle whilst you are coming to terms with it. We have a lot of new keepers who are making lots of mistakes. What I like about him is hes mentally strong and doesnt come across like the clubs to big for him.

Patience is needed even if aesthetically hes not as pleasing on the eye as DDG. He doing something right to have the second highest save %, and I think some really top saves are going under the radar. The save against the Villa at 2-1, where his weight was on the other foot, was outstanding. There was a save from a point blank header as well but I cant remember the game?
How to contradict yourself in one post.
This guy is not a raw recruit, he's not a youth project, he's a seasoned International with ECL and Top league experience, but he is playing for us like a League One keeper
 
That's the problem isn't it? There's nothing HE could do about either goal... But there's probably something a better shot stopper could do about the second goal.
.....maybe or not. Its like criticising a forward for not scoring a volley from 40 yards.
 
That's the problem isn't it? There's nothing HE could do about either goal... But there's probably something a better shot stopper could do about the second goal.
Not too sure about this.
The two goals are literally two mirrored carbon copies, one low to his right, the other to his left, you could argue he see them late.
The first one he doesn't even move, the second one, he dives so late the Forest players are celebrating while he's still diving.

When I watch other keepers, I see better footwork, better positioning, he just seems so static in the goal.
Yes he makes the odd good save, then there are the saves that are literally shots heading straight for him, that he cannot fail to save.
As an established international keeper, he should be better.
 
How to contradict yourself in one post.
This guy is not a raw recruit, he's not a youth project, he's a seasoned International with ECL and Top league experience, but he is playing for us like a League One keeper

Contradict myself, how? Playing like a league one keeper is your opinion, not mine.
 
Not too sure about this.
The two goals are literally two mirrored carbon copies, one low to his right, the other to his left, you could argue he see them late.
The first one he doesn't even move, the second one, he dives so late the Forest players are celebrating while he's still diving.

When I watch other keepers, I see better footwork, better positioning, he just seems so static in the goal.
Yes he makes the odd good save, then there are the saves that are literally shots heading straight for him, that he cannot fail to save.
As an established international keeper, he should be better.

Feck me, this fanbase. We are goalkeepering coaches now from our armchairs. I get it we are losing matches, yes its frustrating, yes he was shite in the CL generally but to critcise him for not saving those shots is nothing but scapegoating him like hes to blame based on hypotheticals.

Sadly he's now forever shite with some on this fanbase, as every goal the narrative will be a forensic view of how he should have saved it. Yet every good save will be minimised or ignored as it wont suit it.
 
Last edited:
I am not sure if it is De Gea bias (when he was at his prime) but I always feel like he could do better on most goals we concede. Am I just being unfair? Is there any data to show how well he is performing relative to other keepers in the league?
 
I am not sure if it is De Gea bias (when he was at his prime) but I always feel like he could do better on most goals we concede. Am I just being unfair? Is there any data to show how well he is performing relative to other keepers in the league?
Statistically he's doing fairly well, at least in the league. PSxG-GA (which measures the post-shot expected goals scored minus the amount of goals actually conceded) is the best stat to judge their shot-stopping, and Onana is currently +0.15 per 90 minutes. That puts him in the 77th percentile for keepers in the PL. Not amazing of course, but comfortably above average.

CL is a completely different story of course where he was -0.35.
 
I don't feel he has made a lot of saves that you wouldn't expect pretty much every keeper to make. Also in terms of optics he has a lot of goals go past him were he doesn't even dive, which never looks good even if there is no chance to save the ball. Cherry on top is that his ball playing ability, the special sauce he was supposed to bring has been well under expectation.
 
I would swap him in a heartbeat for James Trafford at Burnley who is so much more agile and has a name calling out to play at United.
 
I would swap him in a heartbeat for James Trafford at Burnley who is so much more agile and has a name calling out to play at United.
He'd be getting slated on here for some of the goals he's conceded this season if he played for us.
 
Statistically he's doing fairly well, at least in the league. PSxG-GA (which measures the post-shot expected goals scored minus the amount of goals actually conceded) is the best stat to judge their shot-stopping, and Onana is currently +0.15 per 90 minutes. That puts him in the 77th percentile for keepers in the PL. Not amazing of course, but comfortably above average.

CL is a completely different story of course where he was -0.35.

Thanks for the info! I feel like he would probably look better in a team that dominates possession with few shots faced. I am not sold on him for now but we blew the budget on him and won’t replace him anytime soon.
 
That's the problem isn't it? There's nothing HE could do about either goal... But there's probably something a better shot stopper could do about the second goal.

I didn’t mean it that way and I don’t think it’s fair to flog Onana on either goal. If you go over the video carefully there is no keeper on the planet who saves the first shot. It was point blank range. The second was a fantastic shot that most keepers who have ever lived would have no done better than Onana and I can only think of 3-4 keepers who have ever played the game who would have gotten a glove on it, and two of them are former United keepers.

What’s rightly upsetting about the first goal is that Onana didn’t even make an attempt on the ball. It would have been futile but you really want to see you keeper attempt a save. The second shot was inch perfect and struck with power and bend.
 
You must be thinking about a different incident. The Bowen header wasn’t “directly above his hands”.

If you want an example of a really exceptional save then go with the one from Haaland in the derby.

He made a few good saves against City. He also made some really good saves vs Brighton and Brentford.
 
I didn’t mean it that way and I don’t think it’s fair to flog Onana on either goal. If you go over the video carefully there is no keeper on the planet who saves the first shot. It was point blank range. The second was a fantastic shot that most keepers who have ever lived would have no done better than Onana and I can only think of 3-4 keepers who have ever played the game who would have gotten a glove on it, and two of them are former United keepers.

What’s rightly upsetting about the first goal is that Onana didn’t even make an attempt on the ball. It would have been futile but you really want to see you keeper attempt a save. The second shot was inch perfect and struck with power and bend.
Bullshit, it was over 13yds out
The second was a carbon copy.
In fact Forest had tried that move on at least two previous occasions.
Poor defending and poor keeping end of.
 
I see we have the illiterati amongst us, the millennial emoji user
Do you think your posts deserve more?
Your reaction for any goal we concede appears to be "how can I blame Onana for this?". It's not worth much more than a laughing emoji for how obvious and ridiculous it is at this point.
 
Bullshit, it was over 13yds out
The second was a carbon copy.
In fact Forest had tried that move on at least two previous occasions.
Poor defending and poor keeping end of.

13 yards is virtually a pk…point blank range. The scorer was unmarked and the keeper, who I agree is not an elite shot stopper, was unsighted.

The better argument to flog Onana with is his decision to not even attempt a save on the first shot, however futile it may have been. It was undeniably pretty cringey to watch Onana just watch the ball, which was well placed but it wasn’t exactly a Cole Palmer thunderbolt.

From the posts immediately above it appears you’re a serial Onana hater. I get it, but your hatred is misplaced. He’s a decent keeper, nothing special, but decent at shot stopping (someone here can back that up with stats) but has exceptional footwork. Your hatred would be better directed at club management who got rid of De Gea and treated him like trash on his way out the door. There is no doubt that how the club treated De Gea has had a negative impact on the rest of the squad, but in all fairness we cannot blame Onana for the club’s shambolic transfer decisions under ETH. Onana has to be judged on his own merits and on those merits his shot stopping has been disappointing this season but there’s nothing he could have done to save either shot on goal, and if watch again closely his reaction to the second goal was actually pretty respectable. But his reaction on the first goal was poor, even if it’s true he had no chance of saving the shot.
 
This could easily go in the ETH thread. But I’ll put it here.

One thing I’ve noticed over the past few matches and it’s actually a positive because it looks like we are starting to try and utilise the reason we signed him, is that he is becoming much more involved in our buildup play. Our CB’s and CDM will often look to play it back to him, and he is often much further off his line then 4 plus weeks ago.

It’s now like we have an extra outfield player. It has already led to one indirect assist with a great pass to the left wing, and lots of other good opportunities or simple passes that lead to attacks or at the very least better ball retention.

I think this has gone under the radar a bit and it’s something ETH has clearly started reworking on and Onana is implementing quite well. Early stages but can see this becoming an effective part of our game. He’s basically playing like he did in Inter vs City, but right now the forwards and midfielders either don’t make the runs or more often than not ruin possession.

A positive and something to keep and eye out on how it evolves.
 
Similar to West Ham second goal, Kudus' goal, I questioned his jumping technique for second goal against Nottingham Forests. After the shot was fired, he shifted/withdrew his left leg toward the center of his body before using it to power the jump. This split second action reduced how far he could have dove. He got fingers onto the ball in this case. So a littler better leap might have given him better chance to push the ball. Normally, the leg to power to jump should be planted wherever it was already set when the shot fired.




Not a mistake, but he does seem have inefficient technique which very much explains why he often looks slow, and flat footed for some saveable goals.
 
Last edited:
Cant we just have a balanced keeper like VdS used to be? He was a good shot stopper, good in the air, came out of his box whenever needed, decent distribution and great at communicating with his defenders.

We dont need a kamikaze keeper nor someone who is always glued to his post.... we just need balance and not something extreme. I dont think this whole ball playing keeper improved us that much. Why do we always go after the extremes...
 
Do you think your posts deserve more?
Your reaction for any goal we concede appears to be "how can I blame Onana for this?". It's not worth much more than a laughing emoji for how obvious and ridiculous it is at this point.
Go and troll someone else who thinks he's inept, there's plenty of us.
 
Cant we just have a balanced keeper like VdS used to be? He was a good shot stopper, good in the air, came out of his box whenever needed, decent distribution and great at communicating with his defenders.

We dont need a kamikaze keeper nor someone who is always glued to his post.... we just need balance and not something extreme. I dont think this whole ball playing keeper improved us that much. Why do we always go after the extremes...

Difficult, very difficult. Even SAF had difficulties finding a replacement for Schmeichel.
Van der Sar is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers and an Oranje legend. He aged like fine wine as well, he was a rare breed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.