Erik ten Hag has said Andre Onana’s ability on the ball was a factor in him being Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper target, although he reiterated his most important job is to stop the opposition from scoring.
United have officially signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan in a 55m euro (£47.2m) deal and the 27-year-old was the prime target to replace David de Gea, who departed from the club this month following the expiry of his
Onana is considered among the best ball-playing goalkeepers in the world and he’s set to change the style of the team. Ten Hag wants his side to play out from the back and that’s a reason why Onana was such an appealing target.
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Onana previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax and he’s now joined up with the squad in New Jersey for the USA pre-season tour. United play Arsenal in a friendly on Saturday night and it’s possible he could make his non-competitive debut.
Ten Hag, speaking to club media on Friday afternoon, has opened up on why he wanted Onana at Old Trafford and he admitted the goalkeeper’s ability with the ball at his feet was something that was a key factor in the deal.
“Most important, always for a ‘keeper, is clean sheets and he’s not doing that on his own,” Ten Hag said. “Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, [it’s] quite clear. But also the capabilities of a keeper is [about] keeping the goal clean.
“So this is the first criterion of a good goalkeeper. But, nowadays, football also demands good playing from the back, out-playing qualities, and that is a quality Andre has. You need both and you need to cover both areas. So yeah, we’re happy, of course.
“I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He’s so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels.”
Ten Hag also discussed Onana’s relationship with Lisandro Martinez and he suggested the pair will be happy to be together again.
“The keeper with his back four, the keeper with his whole team. It has to be connected. So you need the social and communication skills to get that on the highest level, on the level with the demand and the standards are very high in the Premier League and especially with Manchester United.”
Onana made over 200 appearances for Ajax.
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