Andre Onana’s agent revealed why the shot-stopper joined Manchester United over Chelsea and Tottenham.
On Wednesday, Onana made his United debut in a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the NRG Stadium in Houston, just a week after having signed for the Old Trafford club.
Onana arrived from Inter for £47.2million on a five year deal, with the option a further year, replacing David de Gea who left Old Trafford after 12 years as first choice.
Though the Spaniard won last term’s Premier League Golden Glove award, he was often criticised for his inability to play out from the back - a trait that Onana excels in.Indeed, while the Cameroonian conceded two spectacular goals against Los Blancos, he had 51 touches of the ball, completed 39 passes, and registered a pass completion rate of 95.1 per cent.
Onana’s solitary season at Inter saw the shot-stopper receive plenty of admirers as the Serie A side reached the Champions League final.
Indeed, Chelsea and Tottenham were both interested in the ex-Ajax keeper, but Onana ultimately opted for United. Here’s why.
Why Onana chose Man Utd
Onana was incentivised to go to United because of manager Erik ten Hag, who had been the 27-year-old's boss for five years while at Ajax.
Onana’s agent Albert Botines told CalcioMercato.it: “It all started a few months ago.
“Around April many people inquired about the player. Tottenham asked for information, Chelsea had a very strong interest.“There were meetings in London and Chelsea had also met with Inter, but the figure of ten Hag was key.“We are looking forward to facing great coaches like Guardiola and trying to win titles with Manchester United. We have a great desire to rock.”
Ten Hag was certainly satisfied with Onana’s first outing in a United shirt.
“I think he was good, solid,” said Ten Hag via the Mirror. “He made two very good saves, so he was there in the moment the team needed him, he did his job, he integrated well into our team.“This is the first game [with Onana] and we have a lot of work to do, on the defending part. For the second goal, we were not close at the back post, and it can't be that a goal can come there.
“There are rules we have to follow, but they will come quickly in the way that we integrate them into our way of play.”
Access our platform effortlessly on-the-go through our user-friendly mobile apps.
𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴. We’re more than just a social platform — from jobs and blogs to events and daily chats, we bring people and ideas together in one simple, meaningful space.
