Erik ten Hag is happy to have completed the signing of Andre Onana.
Manchester United have been in the market for a new goalkeeper since David de Gea’s departure. It was clear from day one that Ten Hag’s primary target for this position was Andre Onana, after working with the Cameroonian at Ajax.
Onana, 27, joins United from Champions League finalists Inter Milan.
In an interview with club media (via ManUtd.com), Ten Hag sat down and spoke about his new signing. The manager stressed that the keeper’s diverse range of skills, and his strong personality, convinced him to press ahead with the transfer.
“Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets and he’s not doing that on his own,” Ten Hag said. “Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, [it’s] quite clear. But also 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 both and you need to cover both areas. So yeah, we’re happy, of course.
“I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He’s so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels.”
Andre Onana is with the #mufc squad! 🤝❤️ pic.twitter.com/NCdvNEEKXg
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) July 21, 2023
It should help that Onana has already played with Lisandro Martinez in the past. The Argentine became a instant favourite with fans after joining United from Ajax a year ago.
Ten Hag believes the connection Onana can strike with the back four can add a new dimension to our playing style.
“Did he have a good relationship with Martinez at Ajax? Yeah, of course. With the centre-half, it’s very important, that communication. That is always very important. It’s about the co-operation, the team. The keeper with his back four, the keeper with his whole team. It has to be connected.
“So you need the social and communication skills to get that on the highest level, on the level with the demand and the standards are very high in the Premier League and especially with Manchester United.”
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