Harri Burton

Thu 7 August 2025 21:30, UK

Andre Onana’s goalkeeping abilities have been heavily questioned during his two seasons with Man United but that may have been unfair.

Since the 29-year-old arrived at Old Trafford on a £47million move from Ajax in 2023 [Standard], he has conceded 102 goals during his two Premier League campaigns, and many have wondered if he is worth the hassle.

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He had followed Erik ten Hag to the Theatre of Dreams from the Eredivisie, but after the Dutchman’s time in England came to an abrupt end, so did the protection of his goalkeeper.

Football Insider revealed in June that Man United can only move for an Onana replacement should the Cameroon international leave the club this summer, but he has since picked up an injury in pre-season.

(Credit: Imago)

Following links with Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma has emerged at Man United as a possible target, with Mick Brown telling Football Insider that a deal is currently being worked on.

It remains to be seen if the Red Devils can complete a move for the Italian international, and while he helped lead PSG to the Champions League title last season, he was far from the perfect shot-stopper.

Onana made three errors leading to goal in the Premier League last season, which exacerbated the pressure on his shoulders, but that is also down to the poor quality defence ahead of him.

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Amorim loves for his team to play out from the back, and while both goalkeepers are able to play with the ball at their feet, the current United shot-stopper is happy to switch up his style for the occasion.

Deputising behind a faulty backline has truly showcased Onana’s ability because, while he did concede 19 more goals than Donnarumma did in Ligue 1, that is not the only important stat to consider.

The Cameroon international kept nine clean sheets to Donnarumma’s four, registering the exact same save percentage, and with an xG conceded of 48, allowing 44 goals to slip past him meant that Onana outperformed the data in the Premier League [FotMob].

PSG’s goalkeeper, on the other hand, only faced an xG conceded of 19.7 but managed to concede almost six more goals than expected against the chances he faced over in France.

Credit: FotMob

Reading further into the data, while the duo both had a 67 per cent save-rate, Onana faced far more shots than Donnarumma, meaning that the former was forced to stay more alert in the Premier League.

He also acted as a sweeper on more occasions, came for more high claims, and made almost a century more of recoveries, which will be incredibly key once Amorim can fix his defensive line.

By no means is Onana the perfect goalkeeper – he’s not.

But if Donnarumma is being considered to take the gloves, Amorim might be better off sticking to his guns ahead of next season.

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