Erik ten Hag has finally let go of new signing Andre Onana, and the keeper made a good impression against Real Madrid despite conceding two goals on his debut
Manchester United’s senior team are unbeaten in pre-season so far, but it took only six minutes for them and new goalkeeper Andre Onana to concede their first goal of the summer, and first for the club.
United opened the gap when a long ball from centre-back Antonio Rudiger found their £88.5m new signing Jude Bellingham, who kept his cool and gouged Onana to open his account at Real Madrid. Onana was frustrated that the United defender had not tracked Bellingham’s run, but the new goalkeeper caught on as the ball flew past him and into the net.
It was a false start to a very promising debut for the keeper, who has barely found anything wrong for United. However, another goal flew past him with just two minutes remaining, as Madrid substitute Joselu scored a decisive bicycle kick to secure a 2-0 victory.
This time Onana was not at fault, as Lucas Vazquez found the unmarked Joselu, and the finish was superb. Onana was once again frustrated with the men in front of him, and this time it was a completely different back four than the one that disappointed him in the first half.
Erik ten Hag brought on the 27-year-old to replace David de Gea due to his distribution, and his talent was evident throughout the match. A goal might have come early and late but in between the Cameroon international was solid.
During the first half alone Onana had 100 percent pass accuracy, completing all 22 of his attempts. Onana also completed three long balls wide, and acted as an extra defender when United had the ball.
Although De Gea has been named United’s player of the year for 2021/22, under Ten Hag it was clear the Spaniard was out of step. De Gea provided great service for United, and has been with them since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013.
Football has changed drastically over the past decade, and Onana is exactly what United, and Ten Hag, need on paper. And against one of the toughest teams in world football, he lasted 82 minutes.
Onana is one of only two United players to play the full 90 minutes, meaning he gets the chance to play with a number of different team-mates ahead of next season. It may have been a bad start, and an inauspicious end, but he recovered well from the early setbacks.
The goalkeeper made crucial saves against Vinicius Jr, Joselu and Rodrygo, all of whom were diverted into less dangerous areas. Onana’s last outing was against Manchester City in the Champions League final, where once again he was beaten by a brilliant effort.
Ten Hag knows the keeper well, with Onana originally hailing from Ajax before moving to Inter Milan in 2022 as a free agent. The former Ajax contingent is now at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag hopes that will lead to success next season.
