Revealed: The Onana weakness opponents are told to exploit
Robin Bairner
- 5 Oct 2023 13:59 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana continues to experience a difficult start to life at Old Trafford, with ongoing questions over his ability.
Onana’s problems continued in the midweek Champions League match against Galatasaray, when he was criticised first for a loose pass that caused the concession of a penalty and Casemiro to be sent off, then for going down too easily as Mauro Icardi scored what proved the decisive goal in a shock 3-2 loss.
But although the Cameroon international was slammed for these errors, notably by legendary Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given, these are not the two areas that opposition players have been told to pinpoint in the game of the 27-year-old.
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According to The Daily Telegraph, opponents are seeking to exploit Onana’s failure to position himself correctly.
Opposition analysts have reportedly noted that he is deep in his own penalty box when Man Utd are out of position.
Consequently, rivals are told to shoot early from range because Onana being so far back in his box means that angles that other goalkeepers cut down are not.
Although he is comfortable leaving his box to play with the ball at his feet, his tendency to retreat towards his goal line is regarded as a weakness that opponents are eager to exploit.
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Will Ten Hag drop Onana?
Onana has conceded 10 goals in 18 matches for Man Utd, and while questions have been asked of the defence, the goalkeeper’s individual errors are proving increasingly difficult to overlook.
Although he is expected to remain in goal for the weekend’s Premier League encounter against Brentford, even manager Erik ten Hag has hinted that Onana could be dropped, with Altay Bayindir potentially in line for a debut in the EFL Cup.
Nevertheless, it would come as a shock if Ten Hag were to drop Onana at this stage of the season, with Man Utd having invested €52.5 million in him during the summer.
