Manchester United long-time goalkeeper David De Gea announced his departure from the club on July 8, leaving after twelve years between the sticks of Stretford End. 

And almost two weeks later, United have announced the signing of former Inter keeper, Andre Onana after a significant amount of build-up to the transfer.

https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/1682359778948050944?s=20

The Cameroonian swapped San Siro for Old Trafford for €55m, in a deal which now makes him the third most expensive goalkeeper ever, after Chelsea’s Kepa and Liverpool’s Alisson.

Manchester United’s rumoured transfer budget has been pegged at a £100m.

The club already spent £55m on Mason Mount and are now rumoured to be after a the signature of Rasmus Højlund, who has an asking price of €65/70m.

So why have the Red Devils gone out of their way to spend on Onana? How is he an improvement on De Gea?

Style and Numbers

Much has been made of what Ten Hag wants to turn Manchester United into – a possession-dominant team not scared of playing out from the back.

And certainly, Onana fits the bill for the Dutchman’s idea, but is he an improvement of a shot-stopper to the departed De Gea?

Onana has worked with Ten Hag before – guarding the net for the young Ajax side that reached the semifinals of the Champions league in the 2018/19 season. 

He later signed for Inter Milan in the summer of 2022, but has swapped the San Siro for Old Trafford just a year later. 

He is perfect for the system that Eric Ten Hag is looking to implement at Old Trafford, with the team playing from the back and using quick and decisive passes to push upfield.

It was this version of total football that worked so well for Ajax and Onana under Ten Hag.

However, the former Cameroon international is no stranger to United’s signature counter-attacking strategy either, as former club Inter are used to deploying a similar style. 

Signing Onana is in every way an advantage for Eric Ten Hag, and is definitely an upgrade to De Gea in terms of compatibility to Ten Hag’s style.

But to say who is better at goalkeeping as a role is up for debate. To draw a conclusion, let’s look at the statistics from the most recent campaign.

In De Gea’s final season with United, he won the Golden Glove after keeping 17 clean sheets in 38 games. Onana managed only 8, and while there are some arguments clean sheets are a team effort, the Spaniard boasts a higher save and clean sheet average, albeit playing 14 more games than Onana did in their respective league campaigns.

That however, is where De Gea’s advantages end, with Onana recording a lower goals conceded per 90 ratio and a higher save success rate.

On another hand, in his 38 Premier League games, De Gea faced 142 shot attempts which were on target, saving 99 of them, this gives him a save percentage of 71.1%.

Meanwhile, out of the 82 shots on target Onana faced, he stopped 61 from going in, giving him a percentage of 73.5%.

Overall, De Gea has a higher save ratio, but Onana has conceded less on average.

It is important to note that the games played by both greatly effect these stats.

Onana also has room to grow and improve, being only 27, a good age for a shot stopper. 

It seems safe to conclude that while De Gea is a big loss for the club, Onana is a more than adequate replacement for the former United man. 

For Eric Ten Hag and the United hierarchy, getting the deal through is the first step toward enacting a new era at Old Trafford.