The Need for Change and De Gea’s Inconsistency-
Although David de Gea has consistently been among Manchester United’s top performers since his arrival in 2011, and despite the fact that his 17 shutouts in 38 league games were more than enough to earn him the Premier League Golden Glove award last season, de Gea is not what United needs going ahead.
The 32-year-old’s inconsistent play this season, especially his lacklustre showing in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, and his unconvincing distribution have sparked questions about whether he is suited to the style of play of new boss Erik ten Hag.
De Gea’s current contract expires this month, and while he has shown an interest in extending his 12-year tenure, no new agreement has yet been made. Ten Hag would like a custodian who is more naturally adapted to playing out from the back if United were to look at the custodian market.
Many players have been mentioned as potential replacements for De Gea at United, including Bart Verbruggen of Anderlecht, David Raya of Brentford, Diogo Costa of Porto and Andre Onana of Inter Milan. Onana is without a doubt the name that makes the most sense, even though all the names on that list are remarkable and suit the profile of the modern custodian good with the ball at their feet.
Skills of Onana and Ten Hag’s System Compatibility-
Ten Hag made it quite apparent that he wanted to introduce a more forward-thinking and proactive brand of play to the club when he joined United from Dutch champions Ajax last summer. The ability of the custodian to play with the ball at their feet is a crucial part of Ten Hag’s system, but too often this season, United gave up the ball while De Gea was on it. They were unable to reach their full potential despite the fact that it wasn’t always expensive.
Ten Hag is familiar with Onana as a player. He is familiar with the Dutchman’s management style because he was a regular at Ajax during that time. The international from Cameroon is a superb passer with excellent confidence when he has the ball at his feet, excellent box control, and incredible shot-stopping ability. Inter put such abilities on show throughout their journey to the most recent Champions League final, which they lost to Manchester City 1-0. The 27-year-old showed off his skills as a top-notch custodian even if he lost.
Onana’s courage in constructing out from the back helped Inter cause more issues than City, who everyone had predicted would dominate in possession and dismantle the opposition because of their goalkeeper’s skill with the ball.
For most of the game, City decided to press high in an effort to offset Onana’s skill with the ball at his feet, but as their manager Pep Guardiola stated to CBS Sports before the Champions League final, it’s difficult to do when you have a goalie as talented as him on the ball.
The front players for (Inter) Lautaro (Martinez), (Romelu) Lukaku, and Edin Dzeko are experts at maintaining possession of the ball. For instance, when Rashford and the other player get a long ball from United, they don’t hold it. These people (Inter) retain it and then leave after linking it.
Guardiola sums up one of United’s greatest issues from last season—their inability to hold onto the ball and continuously dismantle their opponents—perfectly.
Increasing the Role-
He is excellent at accurately pinging the ball across various distances and seldom shows tension when distributing the ball, which helps Inter control possession. Holding the ball for as long as he can while inviting the press to influence the opponent and create openings is a frequent requirement of his role.
The differences between De Gea and Onana were quite clear to see while watching the Istanbul encounter with City. Onana takes up a higher position in front of his central defenders, essentially acting as an extra attacker, whereas De Gea is frequently rooted to his line and spends most of the time with the ball at his feet within the boundaries of his own box, playing simple short(er) linking flows to his central defenders or beginning the ball long into the opponent’s half.
With the full-backs being pushed up the pitch to create more hazardous alternatives for Inter to exploit higher up the field, this enables his centre defenders to split out wide and demonstrate as options for a simple outlet ball. The centre midfielders are also able to get through the initial (and occasionally second) lines of pressure, which gives them positional advantages and additional options for buildup play.
Even though Inter lost, the custodian put on a strong performance that made some wonder if this might be a turning point for goalkeeping, similar to how Germany’s Manuel Neuer disrupted several Algerian counterattacks during the round of 16 match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup by sprinting outside his penalty box.
This is the next phase in the progression of employing the custodian farther up the pitch to advance the ball against a mid-block. Teams have been using the custodian in the buildup to generate 11-vs-10 in heavy press situations deep in their own box for years.
Although some teams have tried this style of play in the past—City, for instance, has used it—this is the first instance that we have ever witnessed such extreme risk-taking at the top level of the game. It’s reasonable to wonder why this kind of play couldn’t happen frequently if it can happen on this huge stage when the pressure is on and the opposition is at its best.
Comparing De Gea and Onana’s Playing out from the Back Capabilities-
Onana’s performance on the biggest stage also highlighted how different De Gea’s and his ability to play out of the back are, particularly when you take into account the latter’s dreadful display against Sevilla in the Europa League quarterfinals. The Spaniard was involved in all three of the goals that United gave up in the second leg in Spain, including the wayward pass that Youssef En-Nesyri used to score the third goal of the game into an empty net. In his twelve years at the club, it was one of De Gea’s worst performances ever.
Frankly, Onana’s overall skills are considerably more full and well-rounded than De Gea’s, including cross-management, defence organisation, shot-stopping, and constructing out of the back. He also closely resembles the kind of custodian Ten Hag needs to work his system to its fullest potential. Onana at the base of United’s defenders could easily be creating plays out of the back or launching the ball to Rashford who is running with the ball.
Even if De Gea decides to extend his contract this summer, Onana won’t be deterred. Having taken up Samir Handanovic’s position between the pipes this past season, he has shown he isn’t intimidated by rivals or having large shoes to fill. Onana, a Slovenian veteran who has served as Inter’s captain for the past ten years, has only made 16 appearances this season due to his influence following his free move last summer from another club.
It’s difficult to see De Gea improving much more than he is right now at 32 years old (he turns 33 in November). If anything, he is currently in the stage of his career where his performance will begin to wane. Having a custodian who is good in possession, can sweep and control their box is only rising in significance, and it doesn’t work in De Gea’s advantage even though his shot-stopping has remained crucial.
The Broad-Based Skills and Outstanding Performance of Onana-
Onana, in contrast, turned 27 in April and is now in the peak of his career. He has both the advantage of time and the broad skill set that Ten Hag needs for his method to function well. The fact that Ten Hag and Onana got along well during their five years working together at Ajax, with Ten Hag describing him as a “masterful custodian” in April 2022, is also extremely helpful.
#mufc and Inter Milan have agreed on tight timing to close the deal for Andre Onana. Inter sporting director Piero Ausilo plans to meet United and Onana's entourage within 48 hours to find an agreement. There is a belief a deal can be closed as soon as Friday [@Gazzetta_it] pic.twitter.com/GS97OcPmIe
— utdreport (@utdreport) June 28, 2023
Ten Hag and United will take all necessary steps to get Onana’s signature this summer if they are aggressive and astute. Although it may seem unfair to let go of a player who has been a devoted employee and given his best for the team, United must realise that as long as De Gea is their custodian, Ten Hag’s system will be severely constrained.
That is the primary and strongest argument in favour of United making a custodian change this summer.
