Siddharth Juyal
Chris Sutton believes Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is a ‘downgrade’ from David de Gea
Football pundit Chris Sutton declares Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana a ‘downgrade’ from Spanish legend David de Gea.
United signed Onana from Serie A side Inter Milan during the summer transfer window. Whereas, David De Gea left the club after a 12-year stint as he failed to agree upon a new contract.
The 27-year-old made a howler in his debut match against Wolverhampton Wanderers when he clattered into Sasas Kalajdzic. Luckily for the Red Devils referee Simon Hooper and VAR chose against giving Wolves a penalty.
The Cameroonian international has conceded 18 goals in 10 matches played so far this season. Onana has only managed to keep three clean sheets for United so far.
Sutton talked (h/t Daily Mail) about the numerous blunders Onana has made this season while comparing him with De Gea. He said:
“I think he’s [Onana] a downgrade on De Gea. I really do. I’ve seen enough of him. Is he better than De Gea with his feet? Probably, only just. But I’m more interested in him keeping the ball out the back of the net and I think he’s made a lot of blunders this season. A lot of goalkeeping errors.”
De Gea established himself as the primary goalkeeper under the legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The Spaniard Premier League Golden Glove awards two times during his tenure at the club.
The 32-year-old broke Peter Schmeichel’s record for most clean sheets in the Red Devils’ history in February 2023. Onana helped Inter reach the Champions League final last season and kept 19 clean sheets for the Italian club.
The 27-year-old volunteered to speak to the media after the Bayern Munich loss where he fumbled the ball into his net. The Cameroonian took accountability for his mistake which showed his leadership and character.
More Manchester United News-
- Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag keeps faith in Andre Onana after their loss to Galatasaray
- Rasmus Højlund thinks he and Marcus Rashford are the new dynamic duo brewing at Manchester United
- Manchester United are interested in signing Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton
We believe that Onana, a highly experienced goalkeeper, deserves time to adapt to life at Old Trafford. The 27-year-old is succeeding a legend like De Gea and that is a monumental task in itself. De Gea faced scrutiny at Old Trafford in patches as well but the Spaniard showed his incredible ability eventually. Onana deserves the same faith from the fanbase and the football experts.
