Andre Onana has seen his form go up and down since moving to Manchester United and one of the club’s former goalkeepers has urged him to consider seeking a new home
Massimo Taibi – the man responsible for one of Manchester United’s most infamous goalkeeping blunders – has told Andre Onana to up and leave Old Trafford.
The current No 1 has endured a mixed time since making the move to the Premier League 18 months ago. He was signed by Erik ten Hag as he looked to develop his style, but other parts of Onana’s game have regularly been called into question.
The ex-Inter Milan man was beaten direct from a corner on Boxing Day as Wolves secured a win over the Manchester outfit. Onana’s error count is too high for a club who have ambitions to win trophies and Taibi believes he might be better off making a move away.
The irony being that Taibi, signed as United sought a successor for Peter Schmeichel, made one of the most glaring mishaps when he first moved to Manchester, allowing a long range striker from Matt Le Tissier to go straight through him which cost United. That though hasn’t stopped him giving his opinion.
He told The Sun: “I’d be straight to the point and tell him, ‘Andre, you are one of the best keepers in Europe but in the Premier League, you are under-performing. Block out criticism, do some soul-searching, press the reset and go again. And if things don’t change by June, move on’.
“I think subconsciously the United environment isn’t ideal for him and when a marriage is showing cracks, it’s pointless to continue. Sometimes things don’t work out at a team and it’s best to go separate ways, which would not be a failure.
“For me he’s a strong goalkeeper who finds himself in a situation where he can’t show his skills because he is not cut out for the English game. He’s only suited to the Prem when it comes to his ball-playing ability and structure.”
Onana previously played for Ajax when they made the semi-final of the Champions League in 2019. Four years later and he was part of the Inter outfit who made the Champions League final and Taibi believes his attributes are suited to playing in Italy or France.
“In his place I’d not have left Inter, where he was a big-shot,” said Taibi. “He made a calculated risk thinking he would slot in seamlessly at Manchester United but it backfired. But even though he hasn’t lived up to expectations he remains a top keeper, one of the best in Europe.”
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