Man Utd are closing in on a move to sign Andre Onana this summer and there is another key ɾєɑȿօɴ why he would be the perfect fit.
You only have to watch a few clips of Andre Onana to see exactly why Erik ten Hag has been so keen on a reunion with his former Ajax ace.
Manchester Unitedare inching closer to a Ԁєɑł forOnanaand hope that he could be involved during their upcoming tour of the United States.
United have held positive discussions with Inter in recent weeks, and the 27-year-old is manager Ten Hag’s prime choice to replaceDavid de Gea.
Onana ticks every box of what Ten Hag wants from his first-choice goalkeeper. He is intelligent with the ball at his feet, knows how to read the game well, and is brave in coming for crosses and playing out from the back.
Sometimes, that bravery can lead to mistakes. He can often overestimate his own abilities and get caught out far from his area or make an erratic decision to come for a ball that was never there to be won.
Those mistakes are just part of the package, and Ten Hag is well aware of what he’ll be getting from Onana as well as the fundamental flaws that might never be eradicated from his game.
The United manager is one who understands that τɾɑԀє. To have the good, you must accept the bad, something that can’t be said for his former international boss.
Onana made headlines in the opening round of fixtures of the World Cup last year, catching the eye with his brave sweeper-keeper approach that saw him outside of the box more than he was inside it.
His 26 touches of the ball outside the box were more than any other goalkeeper had ever recorded in a World Cup match since records began in 1966, an approach that coach Rigobert Song didn’t approve of.
Onana fell out with his international manager over a disagreement about his style of play and asked not to be involved in their second match of the tournament. He got his wish and was not even listed among the substitutes for a draw against Serbia.
That record-breaking performance against Switzerland would prove to be his last in a Cameroon shirt. Onana was suspєɴԀed by Song, and after the World Cup finished, he announced his retirement from international duty altogether.
“Every story has its єɴԀ, and my story with the Cameroonian national team has come to an єɴԀ,” he wrote on social media. “My feeling will never change, my Cameroonian heart will continue to beat, and wherever I go, I will always fight to lift the flag of Cameroon as high as possible.”
It remains to be seen if Onana will ever have a change of heart to perform a retirement U-turn, and under fresh management, he could well be convinced to represent his nation once again.
That could all depєɴԀ on whether Cameroon manages to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, with Song’s role surely to be considered if his nation doesn’t manage to make it out of a qualification group that currently sees them second behind Namibia and just above Burundi.
The next AFCON tournament runs from 13 January to 11 February next year, meaning that any player called up would be at risk of missing six Premier League fixtures as well as any domestic cup fixtures.
From a selfish point of view, United would most likely prefer Onana not to be involved with Cameroon at a major international tournament midway thɾօυɢҺ the season, and it seems highly unlikely that he will.
Either way, it might not affect United, whatever happens. If they qualify, then Onana won’t be involved, and if they don’t, then even if he comes out of retirement, there won’t be a tournament to compete in.
Instead, Onana should be entirely available during a potential debut season at the club and would also be kept in-house during the international breaks scattered across the campaign.
His early international retirement might sound like a red flag, but in fact, it is another green light for United to go and get him.
