Forget Aaron Ramsdale - Man United’s perfect Andre Onana replacement is staring them in the face

It’s expected to be all change on the transfer front at Manchester United this summer as Ruben Amorim and his transfer chiefs at Old Trafford hold discussions to assess just what went so drastically wrong this season as they look to push on in the league next term and divert attention away from this horrible period in the club’s history.

In United’s 2024/25 season post mortem there’s bound to be plenty of topics on the agenda such as the team’s lack of a clinical striker, the over reliance on Bruno Fernandes, the lack of options in wide areas and the club’s alarming lack of stability at the heart of defence.

Almost every area needs improvement, but one of the biggest that yet to be mentioned is the goalkeeping department where Andre Onana has often become the subject of scrutiny for mistakes which have cost his side on several occasions this season.

What’s gone wrong for Andre Onana?

The Cameroonian arrived with a massive reputation. He was the fourth most expensive goalkeeper in football history when he arrived from Inter Milan in £47.2m and was chosen to be the successor to fan favourite and the previous season’s Golden Glove winner David de Gea, who had served as the club’s number one for 12 seasons.

Onana played under United manager Erik ten Hag during a seven-and-a-half-year spell with Ajax, winning three league titles and forming part of the team which reached the Champions League semi-final. When he moved to Inter in 2022 he won the Coppa Italia in his only season and formed part of the team which reached the Champions League final before falling short against Manchester City.

He seemed to have an aura about him when he came to Old Trafford, with journalists labelling him ‘A modern keeper... with the technique of an outfield player’ while Italian football journalist Alessandro Schiavone said: "There's also so much more to him than just his ability on the line and reflex saves," Schiavone told BBC Sport.

"He's a modern keeper, formed in the heralded Ajax 'lab' where a goalkeeper won't make it to the top unless he has the technique of an outfield player. And there's a consensus that Onana's accuracy on the ball, outstanding passing range and dribbling ability are second to none, including [Manchester City's Brazil keeper] Ederson.”

However, despite being dubbed as this revolutionary goalkeeper that would transform United in the same way Ederson and Alisson have with City and Liverpool respectively, the eye test and the stat test doesn’t lie and Onana has struggled to fulfill expectations in a United shirt as many outfield players ahead of him have also.

Onana was steady but unspectacular in his first season, he made plenty of errors but also enjoyed some highs particularly in the FA Cup where United triumphed against City and he also made 149 saves - which means he was getting tested more than Luton Town’s Thomas Kaminski, who could even find himself playing in League One next season.

However, this year his performances have dipped clearer and despite being labelled unflappable it’s clear the 29-year-old is struggling for confidence at this moment in time - he’s made three errors leading to directly to goals in the league and is running out of time to redeem himself after also slipping up in Europe at a a club that simply doesn’t have the patience to go on as they have been doing.

Onana was dropped at Newcastle during a 4-1 loss after his efforts in the first 2-2 with Lyon and subsequently reinstalled for the 5-4 win in the reverse fixture and the most recent 1-0 loss to Wolves.

Could Andre Onana leave Man United this summer?

Football Insider is the latest in a long line of outlets to suggest that Onana’s chapter as a United player could be drawing to a close with a move to Saudi Arabia potentially on the cards. The report which comes courtesy of ex-Man City adviser Stefan Borson claims the club could sell Onana to Saudi Arabia for a fee in the region of £30m to try and recoup some of the money they spent on him.

“Maybe Saudi’s perfect for him when you think about it, and £30million feels doable. Maybe that’s the answer. They would probably break even on it from a PSR perspective. The bigger issue is they’ve got to find a new goalkeeper, which is really difficult and really expensive now these days, and quite a few teams are looking.”

The obvious solution to Man United goalkeeping problems

Ruben Amorim is going to be on the look out for a goalkeeper next summer and has been linked with a move for Aaron Ramsdale. The ex-Arsenal goalkeeper has already suffered a fourth career relegation with Southampton and is expected to seek a move back to the Premier League to boost his Euro 2024 hopes.

However, another goalkeeper that would be a much better solution for United would be Jordan Pickford. The Everton goalkeeper is still only 31 and is perhaps best equipped to deal with the scrutiny that comes at Old Trafford after playing 75 times and counting for the England national team. Pickford joined Everton from boyhood club Sunderland in 2017 for a British record for a keeper £30m and has made nearly 300 appearances for the Toffees over the course of eight seasons.

He’s won Everton’s Player of the Season award on four occasions during that period and is consistently among the highest players for clean sheets in the Premier League. He’s kept 10 this season, putting him third in the league behind David Raya and Mats Selz - and last season was also second in the league with more clean sheets than Onana. Pickford is also renowned for being good with his feet and is blessed with the ability to accurately play long balls to his team-mates with Everton as well as playing it out from the back with short passes with ease as he displays for England.

He’s saved the sixth most penalties of any goalkeeper in Premier League history (7) and is also the only player in England’s history to have come out on top in two tournament penalty shoot-outs for the Three Lions while also becoming the first to reach two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final. Pickford has two years remaining on his Everton deal and could be tempted for a fresh challenge and the opportunity to try and play in Europe once again after only getting a brief taste of the Europa League in 2017.

Pickford is regularly picked ahead of Ramsdale for England is less error prone, a proven shot-stopper and a good leader, making him a better option for United at this moment in time and potentially a cost effective way of replacing Onana, and with minimal risk if the former Inter Milan ace was to move to Saudi Arabia.

Read more: 'Perfect' - Man United urged to make huge £30m transfer call amid growing pressure