Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster claims that the Red Devils should have opted to keep goalkeeper David de Gea instead of signing Andre Onana from Inter Milan this summer.
As reported by The Mirror, Foster is unsure of whether Man United’s squad is ready to adapt to Onana’s style of play.
“Personally, I would have stuck with David for another season,” Foster revealed during an interview following United’s 3-1 preseason friendly loss to Wrexham.
While the current Wrexham shot stopper admitted that Onana posseses a strong ability to play with the ball at his feet and come out of his box and push up the field, he remains concerned that United’s current lineup may struggle to adapt to the 27 year old’s “sweeper-keeper” style.
Aside from the former Inter keeper’s tendency to play out from the back, Foster also expressed discontent with the high transfer fee that the Red Devils’ paid for Onana, claiming that the money spent on the Cameroonian could have been more effectively spent on improvements to the squad in other positions.
With his transfer fee standing at 51 million euros, Onana has become the fourth most-expensive goalkeeper of all time.
Still, the 40 year old admitted that Onana’s arrival was a necessary one, particularly as Erik ten Hag looks to build a squad that is capable of reaching the peak of the modern era of football.
The Wrexham goalkeeper concluded that it Onana’s consistency on a regular basis would determine whether or not he is worth his price tag, explaining that De Gea was able to “guarantee a 6/10 or 7/10 [performance] every week”.
Onana made his United debut on Wednesday night against Real Madrid in a friendly match in Houston, Texas.
Although the Red Devils lost the game 2-0, Onana stood out as one of United’s strongest performers on the night.
The Cameroonian shot stopper made three saves against los Blancos, two of which were crucial, while achieving 95 percent passing accuracy.
While Onana’s long-term performance in a United jersey remains to be seen, he certainly appears to be the ideal type of goalkeeper for Ten Hag’s style of play if his performance in Wednesday’s friendly is anything to go by.