Andre Onana now starting to prove his worth at Man United

Man United fans are now really starting to see what goalkeeper Andre Onana is capable of.

Manchester United suffered derby day defeat over the weekend, though for large periods of the game, there were reasons to be positive. Sure, there’s still a massive gulf between the two sides, but at least our lads looked up for the fight this time around…

The Red Devils also have to credit Andre Onana with keeping the score down. When you go to The Etihad, you always need your goalkeeper to be at his best. The man from Cameroon was certainly on top form on Sunday.

After paying big money to bring in Onana, who was replacing an absolute club hero in the form of David de Gea, there was always going to be a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders. Initially, it looked like that pressure was getting to him – particularly in European competition where he truly struggled.

However, since the turn of the year, Onana’s form has drastically improved, culminating in an outstanding derby performance.

He faced over 25 shots on goal against Pep Guardiola’s men and at times, it felt like it was Onana vs the world. From stopping Rodri’s sharp effort on goal, to denying Phil Foden a couple of times before he eventually scored, it was a real sharp outing from the shot-stopper.

I actually have Onana as someone who is slightly underrated in terms of shot-saving. His reactions, particularly from close-range, are up there with the best in the business. Nine times out of ten he’ll get a strong hand to those type of efforts, the importance of which cannot be understated.

Onana was brought in for his ability to play out from the back. It’s made tougher due to the fact that he hasn’t had a steady back four in front of him. Yesterday, Jonny Evans was in the side, while Victor Lindelof was playing at left-back. Despite that, Onana kept spraying the ball around to those in red, including firing a superb long ball forward which resulted in Marcus Rashford’s stunning early strike. You wouldn’t get that with De Gea.

It’s definitely something we’d all love to see more of going forward, and I’m absolutely sure we will as Onana continues to improve and starts to build relationships with this group of players. These things take time but it’s certainly trending in the right direction.

You also cannot underestimate Onana’s leadership skills and sheer willingness to win. This mentality is something United don’t have an awful lot of in the current squad. This guy’s belief in his own ability, and that of his teammates, never wavers. It’s why he can bounce back from a mistake quickly. The fact that he can put it behind him immediately is a true mark of his character.

In the early portion of his United career, the questions about Onana were beginning to be asked. It’s fair to say those doubters have been silenced over the last couple of months. Long may it continue.

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