Andre Onana has been urged to consider leaving Manchester United if he struggles with the demands of the position.
Onana, who joined United from Inter Milan last summer for an initial £43.8 million plus £3.4 million in add-ons, faced a difficult first season.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper made several high-profile errors and allowed 83 goals across all competitions, managing only 13 clean sheets in 51 games.
As the 2024/25 season kicks off, Onana is still under intense scrutiny, especially since United invested heavily to bolster their defense, signing Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Peter Schmeichel, a former United goalkeeper, previously mentioned that Onana’s mistakes stemmed from not handling the pressure effectively.
Recently, former United keeper Anders Lindegaard, who played for the club from 2010 to 2015, expressed his views after participating in a legends match against Celtic at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Lindegaard, who had 29 appearances while working closely with David de Gea, pointed out what he sees as Onana’s main challenge.
Lindegaard said, “Onana has recovered from a tough start and is now performing better. However, there’s no secret method for managing pressure—that’s just part of the job. If you can’t handle it, or choose not to, then this role isn’t for you.”
These comments follow criticism from another former United goalkeeper, Tim Howard, who questioned Onana’s willingness to take risks this season.
Howard remarked to NBC Sports, “He can’t afford to make too many errors. Some of the goals he let in were quite saveable. While the notion of taking more risks might be appealing, I wasn’t convinced last year, and he still has much to prove. He has great talent but hasn’t fully demonstrated it yet, with too many goals being conceded that should have been saved.”
Schmeichel feels that Onana has been unfortunate not to have had a stable defense in front of him at Manchester United. Last season, Erik ten Hag dealt with injuries to key defenders like Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, and Harry Maguire, which disrupted team stability.
With De Ligt, Martinez, and Maguire now fit, there should be more consistency this season. Schmeichel recently noted, “I saw considerable improvements in various areas of his game over the season. Like any goalkeeper, he needs a reliable defense. With that, I’m confident we’ll see a top-quality goalkeeper who will perform exceptionally well.”
