Ruben Amorim’s revolution won’t properly take off until he signs a reliable shot-stopper, and there are a host of strong options to consider
Manchester United must bring in a new No.1 goalkeeper. That was the obvious conclusion to make after Andre Onana’s latest nightmare performance in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Just four minutes into United’s home game against Ipswich, for reasons known only to him, Onana raced off his line towards a long ball despite Patrick Dorgu already being on the case, which in turn led to the full-back poking the ball past him straight into the feet of grateful Ipswich winger Jaden Philogene, who was then left with the simple task of rolling the ball into an empty net. Yes, Dorgu should have just cleared his lines, but Onana’s poor judgement and lack of communication created an issue out of nothing.
Philogene probably couldn’t believe his luck after scoring his second goal of the night in first-half stoppage time, either, as his tame, low and seemingly mishit cross somehow sneaked in at Onana’s far post. Fortunately for the ‘keeper, United ended up winning 3-2 in front of an exasperated Old Trafford crowd, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men after Dorgu’s stupid red card.
At the final whistle, Onana was seen pumping his fists in celebration, completely oblivious to the fact that he had again almost cost his team vital points. United have made some terrible errors with goalkeeping purchases down the years, with Massimo Taibi and Mark Bosnich generally seen as the two biggest flops, but Onana is at best beginning to rival them.
Ruben Amorim cannot take this United squad forward with Onana in goal; the former Inter star’s positioning and handling are dire, he’s too rash, doesn’t have any command of the box, and his distribution is wildly erratic. The Red Devils need a far safer pair of hands, and with that in mind, GOAL has found eight goalkeepers who could replace Onana in the summer transfer window…