MU needs Onana, as he possesses comprehensive skills and surpasses David de Gea in terms of footwork. That's why MU is considering the goalkeeper of Inter as a top target in the transfer market.
De Gea's contract with Manchester United will expire on June 30th. Although an agreement for an extension has been reached, no new contract has been signed yet. The Spanish goalkeeper is currently on vacation and the official announcement of his extension is expected upon his return. From a standpoint, MU still values De Gea for the upcoming season.
However, Ten Hag has a desire to reinforce the goalkeeper position. The Dutch coach wants to have a top-class player to compete with De Gea. "I won't say that De Gea is the number one goalkeeper at a top club like MU. You can't play with just 11 pillars. It's not possible. We need two players for each position," Ten Hag affirmed in early June.
The list of goalkeepers that MU is interested in includes Jordan Pickford (Everton), Diogo Costa (Porto), Bart Verbruggen (Anderlecht), and particularly Andre Onana (Inter). Onana, the goalkeeper of Inter, had an impressive season, dethroning Samir Handanovic and playing a crucial role in the team's journey to the Champions League final. In the final against Man City, Onana also performed exceptionally well with impressive saves.
Ten Hag is well aware of Onana's talent as they worked together for five years at Ajax. Onana is particularly excellent with the ball at his feet, which is a characteristic that De Gea lacks. During his tenure at Ajax (2017-2022), Ten Hag successfully built a possession-based and sequentially attacking style of play, thanks in part to Onana's effective ball distribution. In other words, Onana embodies Ten Hag's philosophy in the goalkeeper position.
However, the effective five-year collaboration between Ten Hag and Onana ended in conflict. In November 2021, Onana returned after a nine-month ban for doping but was no longer regularly favored by Ten Hag. Frustrated, Onana refused to extend his contract and opted to leave as a free agent at the end of the season.
On April 9th, 2022, Onana was criticized by Ajax fans for making mistakes, regardless of the team's victory. The Cameroonian goalkeeper responded with vulgar language. In the next match, Ten Hag punished Onana by excluding him from the squad for the Dutch Cup final against PSV. Dutch football experts believe that Ten Hag handled the crisis poorly. Since then, Onana completely disappeared from Ajax's lineup until he moved to Inter. Ten Hag explained Onana's absence in the final stages of the season as an injury, but the 27-year-old goalkeeper was perfectly healthy. Onana left for Inter with a bitter ending at Ajax.
Setting aside personal issues, Ten Hag understands how much MU needs Onana. Similar to his time at Ajax, Ten Hag's MU requires a goalkeeper who is reliable in catching the ball but also efficient with their feet. Inter will not accept a price lower than 80 million euros for the goalkeeper who had an impressive season. From a professional standpoint, the reunion between Ten Hag and Onana is crucial for MU's defense because Onana understands Ten Hag's philosophy very well.
