The official Nottingham Forest match programme described Andre Onana as “capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous”, and said that “he can possess erratic tendencies at times.”
Onana made a strong start to the season, but mistakes crept back into his game in the winter and he made a glaring error when Forest won 3-2 at Old Trafford in December.
The 29-year-old’s long-term future in Manchester has been questioned and some pundits believe United require a more dependable goalkeeper. Onana was beaten by Anthony Elanga’s finish in the 1-0 defeat to Forest on Tuesday night, but he did make a superb save in the second half.The official match programme had a ‘ones to watch’ section for United and Onana, Matthijs de Ligt, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund were in focus. The 114 words about Onana were interesting because United’s No.1 was described as someone who possesses “erratic tendencies.”
“Camerooon international Onana was signed as a goalkeeper who has a reputation for being good with the ball at his feet,” it said.
“He checked in from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023 and quickly established himself as the club’s number one goalkeeper at Old Trafford.
“Onana is capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous between the posts and he can possess erratic tendencies at times.
“Still, Onana helped United win the FA Cup last season and his form during a recent run of good form for Ruben Amorim’s side has been largely impressive.
“Onana kept goal during the Champions League final during the 2022/2023 campaign when Manchester City completed a famous treble.”
Someone who worked with Onana in training at Carrington last season said he is “so powerful and athletic” and praised his “aggressive movements” in between the posts.
He has the profile of a modern goalkeeper, but his distribution has been inconsistent for United.
Onana has kept eight clean sheets in the Premier League this season and there was a debate about whether Altay Bayindir should replace him as No.1 at the beginning of the year.
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