Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is en route to proving his critics wrong in the ongoing 2024-25 Premier League season.
The former Inter Milan goalkeeper and 2022-23 UEFA Champions League finalists came under the wires for his sub-par performance last season.
Replacing the club’s legendary shot-stopper David De Gea, Onana fell below expectations stepping into the shoes of De Gea. For United fans, Onana was definitely a cause for concern when he conceded three goals against Wrexham United on July 26, 2023, in pre-season friendly.
And he didn’t prove his critics wrong after all. He went ahead to concede twice against Real Madrid on July 27, 2023, and three goals against Borussia Dortmund on July 31, 2023.
However, he was able to keep a clean sheet in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Wolves in the 2023-24 Premier League opener on August 14, 2023, thanks to a late equalizer which was controversially chalked off.
Onana’s downbeat start to the season became more glaring when United conceded four goals in the next two Premier League matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford.
Andre Onana: Worst stretch as Manchester United goalkeeper
Onana’s worst stretch came when he gulped in ten goals in three consecutive matches all resulting in defeats for Manchester United.
The first of the stretch was a 3-1 drubbing of the club by Arsenal on September 3, 2023. Brighton also pounded United in that stretch, scoring three goals as well and it got worse in the club’s 2023-24 Champions League opener against Bayern Munich on September 20, 2023, in which he conceded four goals at the Allianz Arena.
Calls to find a solution to Onana’s schoolboy goalkeeping rent the air. United fans were pessimistic about his prospects as the club’s No.1 following the ridiculous stats.
Coming under pressure, especially when the club set an unwanted Champions League record of conceding 18 goals in the group stage of the competition, Onana kept his head high. He insisted he may struggle at the start, trying to adapt but will certainly bounce back.
Notably, he also put up some promising performances and improved midway into the season but it was not enough to clear the doubts.
Andre Onana’s brilliant start to the 2023-24 season
Now, away from the poor start to the 2023-24 season, Onana seemed to improve immensely in the ongoing campaign. He is currently topping the chart of Premier League goalkeepers with the most number of clean sheets and is set to lead the race for the Golden Glove award.
Statistics show he is ahead of 2023-24 Premier League Golden Glove winner and Arsenal No.1 David Raya who has three clean sheets from seven matches.
He is also top of veteran Brazilian and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker who has recorded three assists but has played one match less (6) due to injury.
Andre Onana clean sheet records for Man United this season
Onana currently tops the 2024-25 Premier League clean sheets chart with four clean sheets in seven matches.
His first clean sheet was in the Premier League opener against Fulham on August 16, 2024. His heroics enabled United to ease to a narrow 1-0 victory in the match.
His second was in the club’s 3-0 mauling of Southampton at St Mary’s on September 14, 2023. Against Crystal Palace, he proved crucial as the club salvaged a point with a barren draw.
Another barren draw against Aston Villa in United’s last match before the October international took his clean sheet tally to four.
While it is still early to rate the 25-year-old’s prospects at United after the nightmare start last season, he has certainly improved immensely this season.
Despite the club’s underwhelming start to the season, Onana has stood out with his standout performances and will hope to build on his gains, helping the club roar back to form.
