Ben Foster Warns Manchester United Star Andre Onana Over ‘Doing Cruyff Turns’
Ben Foster has fired a warning to Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana and feels his former club should have kept David de Gea at Old Trafford.
United signed Cameroon international Onana in a deal worth around £47m this summer from Champions League runners-up Inter Milan.
Erik ten Hag has long wanted a more modern sweeper-keeper to help build-up play from the back and Onana was his ideal long-term replacement for De Gea.
While Foster believes it was ‘probably’ the right move to bring in Onana and thinks the arrival of the 27-year-old will move the club forward, he has also raised concerns and says De Gea should have stayed for the 2023-24 campaign.
United had the option to extend De Gea’s contract by one year but decided against it and he left on a free transfer this month following 12 years at the club, in which he made 545 appearances and broke their all-time clean sheet record.
Onana’s Style of Play
‘He’s obviously a very, very modern goalkeeper and that’s what it is nowadays,’ Foster told The United Stand about Onana.
‘If Manchester United wanted to improve and progress, they had to sign Onana. That’s the way that it goes and it’s as simple as that.
‘Whether or not the players around him are ready for that and be able to deal with constantly playing out from the back and him stepping up, acting like a real sweeper-keeper…
‘I’ve seen the way he plays and he’s super high up, comfortably comes running out [of goal] with the ball. That remains to be seen [if his team-mates are ready for that]. It’ll be an interesting one but I do think it’s the right move, probably.’
De Gea’s Departure
‘Personally, I would have stuck with David for another season. He had that year extension so he could have stayed. £47m could have been better spent elsewhere. But it is what it is, we have to move forward and it is probably a good signing.
‘David has done such a good job because there is so much pressure and expectation when you play in goal for United. It’s a really hard job.
‘If you can guarantee a 6/10 or 7/10 [performance] every week like David did, that is worth its weight in gold. Onana is a very confident player, I’ve seen him doing Cruyff turns and this kind of stuff.
‘But it will only take one or two for him to get caught out. Then it makes you start thinking maybe you shouldn’t do that. Hopefully he hits the ground running but it’s not as easy as that sometimes.’
Conclusion
It remains to be seen how well Onana will adapt to life at Manchester United, but Foster’s warning should serve as a reminder of the importance of playing within your limits. De Gea’s departure is a huge loss for United, but Onana could prove to be an inspired signing if he can live up to his potential.