Andre Onana: Expert View on goalkeeper’s Ajax years amid proposed Manchester United transfer

Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana would be a hugely-positive influence in the Manchester United dressing room, should he complete his anticipated big-money move to Old Trafford.

Kevin van Nunen of Eurosport Netherlands gave us the lowdown on Onana after watching the Cameroon shot-stopper during his time at Ajax.

He explained that the goalkeeper is the kind of man you want on your side when the going gets tough.

“He can be calm, but sometimes be seen to be very angry, screaming at his defenders as well. But, when a goal is conceded, Onana very much tries to lift everyone’s spirits,” Van Nunen explained.

“While the other teams celebrate or when a defender makes a big mistake, he will walk over and try to lift spirits or console the player who screwed up, especially when this happens early in the game and there’s plenty of time left to repair the damage. Onana radiates confidence and tries to transfer this to his defenders.”

Onana would also be a good fit for Erik ten Hag’s style of playing out from the back, with Van Nunen waxing lyrically about the 27-year-old’s ball-playing skills.

“I think Onana is one of the best goalkeepers in the world with the ball at his feet,” Van Nunen added.

“This must be one of the main reasons why Ten Hag enjoyed working with Onana at Ajax and now wants him at Manchester United.

“I think Ten Hag isn’t the only one who noticed, as UEFA even made a compilation of Onana’s distribution during the Champions League final. There are not many keepers who get this type of praise after a lost final!”

Onana progressed through the ranks at Ajax into the first-team, but that path to the highest level was far from plain-sailing for the Cameroonian. Many were questioning whether he was good enough to make the grade at the Amsterdam Arena.

“When Onana played his first match for Ajax, in the second team, it was like he was almost too pumped up,” said Van Nunen.

“He was so, so eager to prove himself that, even in the first minute, he was kicking balls like it was the last minute of the game and his team needed to score; It was crazy. His teammates couldn’t catch a breath.

“Before Onana had caught the ball, he kicked it towards the other half without taking a beat, or at least that was his aim, but balls were flying everywhere. I even think one or two balls ended up in the ditch behind the small main stand. It was crazy: among the journalists during the break at half time, everybody was laughing and saying: ‘what is going on?’ ‘This is crazy!’ ‘Who is this Onana guy?’

“To make matters worse, Onana had an absolute howler after only eight minutes! And almost a second one a few minutes later! But in the second half he was more calm and already much better, more in line with his distribution as we know now.

His cavalier style at Ajax continued to raise eyebrows, with Van Nunen highlighting a game away at Groningen as a notable example.

However, Onana’s shot-stopping prowess endeared him to the Ajax fans, as the club went on a memorable run to the 2017 Europa League final.

“When in possession Onana can be overconfident,” Van Nunen added.

“When he was first-choice keeper at Ajax, quite a lot of times he would leave his goal and go up as far as the halfway line!

“He is not afraid to leave his goal but what everybody could see coming happened in 2017 at an away game against FC Groningen. He lost the ball and Groningen scored! The ref could have given a free kick, but after some narrow escapes, Onana ran out of luck.

“Eventually Ajax lost the title race to Feyenoord by just one point, but nobody really blamed Onana for losing the title as everybody was happy Ajax started to play like Ajax again under manager Peter Bosz.

“The club also reached the final of the Europa League (against Man Utd) thanks to some fabulous Onana saves!”