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One current Manchester United star has been dubbed ‘one of the biggest transfer mistakes in Premier League history’ by former Red Devils goalkeeper Ben Foster.
United are enduring a very difficult season with Ruben Amorim unable to turnaround the team’s terrible form since replacing Erik ten Hag in the dugout.
Though he won two domestic cups during his time at Old Trafford, almost all of Ten Hag’s signings have not delivered, with the club already looking to sell some of his most expensive purchases.
This includes Antony, who looks reborn on loan at Real Betis, and aging midfielder Casemiro, but one who remains a regular in the starting XI is Andre Onana.
The pressure was immediately on the goalkeeper as soon as he completed his £47million move from Inter Milan in 2023, as he was replacing legendary shot-stopper David de Gea, whom Ten Hag opted not to give a new contract to.
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While stats suggest Onana has not been a total calamity, he has not lived up to the lofty expectations set for him and has made numerous high-profile errors.
He was arguably at fault for both goals in United’s 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Wednesday night, with one stat emerging that claimed that Onana had made 12 errors leading to goals in the past two seasons, compared to De Gea’s 17 in 12 years at Old Trafford.
Speaking on Foster’s YouTube channel, The Cycling GK, one of his guests raised the damning statistic before stating: ‘Bringing him [Onana] in to replace De Gea was one of the most fundamental and probably one of the biggest mistakes you’ve seen in Premier League history.’
Foster agreed, replying: ‘With regards to goalkeeping especially, that’s right at the top of it.’
Analysing Ipswich’s first goal against United, Foster put the blame squarely on Onana, adding: ‘When [Patrick] Dorgu is running back to his goal with Philogene next to him, he’s aware that Philogene is there but can only really see Onana.
‘Onana can see the whole picture. Onana is the guy that should be in control of that whole situation, he’s the one that should be vocal, should be pointing, should be trying to make eye contact with Dorgu.
‘He’s done none of that, all he’s done is close the space and as soon as you do that you’re asking for trouble and as it played out, it was an absolute disaster.
‘Onana should have tried to make eye contact with Dorgu as he’s running down to him, making arm gestures, telling him what to do. But back off, keep that space and Dorgu would have known to just roll the ball to the side to Onana, who could have played a nice little pass to the right back.
‘We’re talking top level here, nice and calm and composed. If that’s Liverpool – Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas or Virgil van Dijk – nice and calm. United just panic that’s the problem.’
With Altay Bayindir injured, Onana is likely to be in goal when United take on Fulham in the FA Cup fifth-round on Sunday.
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