Erik Ten Hag Explains Why Manchester United Spent £48m On Andre Onana

Ten Hag has revealed on United’s official website the reason the team spent £48 million ($62 million) on new goal keeper Andre Onana, and also considering the fact that he has previously worked with him at Ajax:

“Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets and he’s not doing that on his own. Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, 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.”

The Red Devils have finally acquired the Cameroon international after a protracted transfer saga with Serie A Inter. United believes that he has all the criteria for Ten Hag’s ideal modern goalkeeper, one who is skilled with both feet and hands.

He added; “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.”

Onana also worked with Lisandro Martinez at Ajax. Ten Hag seeing further benefits in that partnership, he said: “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.”

De Gea, the final line of United’s defense, earned the Premier League Golden Glove last season with 17 clean sheets amassed. Onana will be looking to fit in smoothly with a group that has already demonstrated its ability to handle the threat offered by star-studded competitors in the English top-flight.