This summer will provide Ten Hag with an opportunity to bring in players who can play in the style he desires. However, to achieve that, he must first address the goalkeeper situation, as De Gea's contract has officially expired, leaving MU with only Dean Henderson and Tom Heaton.
ANDRE ONANA Last week, there were confirmed reports that MU had been in contact with the representative of Inter Milan's Andre Onana regarding a potential reunion with Ten Hag. On Friday, Inter's Sporting Director, Beppe Marotta, stated, "MU has expressed interest in Onana, which could lead to something that both Inter and Onana need to carefully evaluate."
The 27-year-old goalkeeper showcased his skills with confident distribution and excellent long passing in the Champions League final against Man City. Onana is crucial for Inter's plans due to his ball-playing ability and exceptional passing skills, resembling that of a talented central midfielder.
Onana's passing ability is the reason why Inter was able to alleviate the pressure from Man City, and his goalkeeping heroics are what propelled Inter to the Champions League final. Onana is both a commanding goalkeeper and an active sweeper.
Onana commands the 18-yard box and the space in front, playing the ball forward and allowing the midfielders to push higher. Onana joining MU would mean that Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane can receive the ball outside the penalty area and push the attacking line higher.
Onana could bring a risk-taking goalkeeper style similar to Fabian Barthez, but don't worry, just look at his long-range passes. Onana is pragmatic enough to know when it's better to play a long pass.
Of course, in terms of accuracy, Onana's passing might decrease when he has to deliver the ball over longer distances. However, if MU is looking for long-range passes to the wing-backs, which many modern players do, Onana is a strong candidate.
Onana is also an interesting factor because he often ventures out of his box to initiate attacks, rather than narrowing the gap and ending the opponent's attacks. This is partly due to him playing with Inter's back three and their counter-attacking style.
Minor concerns with Onana are that he ended the season with more goals conceded. There were moments in the past when his concentration was questioned, but Onana has proven those doubts wrong.
There's no doubt that Onana is an outstanding goalkeeper with intelligent footwork and area control, allowing him to be in perfect positions for incredible saves.
DIOGO COSTA Costa is considered the best under-25 goalkeeper in Europe. He was Portugal's number one goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup. The 23-year-old goalkeeper made a difference by saving 15 penalties last season for Porto.
Similar to Onana, Costa performs numerous touches in the central area of the penalty box and the space in front. He also enjoys passing the ball to his right-back to initiate attacks. Additionally, he is an active goalkeeper when it comes to defensive duties.
Costa's long passes tend to go towards the wings, aiming to release the wing-backs. He is a goalkeeper who wants to be involved in the defense to create attacking opportunities, especially in the Champions League.
However, Costa tends to take risks in his goalkeeping actions within the penalty area. He is not currently rated as highly as Onana in 2023, but he has the potential to become one of the world's best goalkeepers.
Apart from Onana and Costa, MU is also considering other goalkeepers like Brentford's David Raya. The 27-year-old goalkeeper is also proficient in playing with his feet and accurate long passing. There are also options such as Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Yehvann Diouf (Reims), or another bold choice would be to utilize former player Tom Heaton.
