David de Gea and Erik ten Hag point made as Andre Onana sent Man United 'mistakes' message

The Manchester United goalkeeper continues to be under scrutiny as Ruben Amorim's side toil in the bottom half of the table.

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana continues to come under scrutiny as crucial interventions are mixed in with errors and poor form this season - and some United fans in the Manchester Evening News comments section wonder what the season might have been like if David de Gea and the club were convinced to shake hands on a fresh deal back in 2023.

Onana has delighted and frustrated fans since arriving from Inter Milan in 2023, with the previous manager Erik ten Hag insisting on getting a ball-playing goalkeeper into the team to evolve and elevate how Manchester United play. De Gea departed the club earlier that summer after negotiations over a contract broke down, taking a season out as a free agent before signing for Fiorentina in Serie A this season.

United are in a bleak place, so it's natural to wonder what might have been if different decisions were made in the past. His future at the club remains unclear, with experts having different opinions on how his career will pan out from here.

Some fans have defended Onana, such as reader Realperson: “All keepers make mistakes. I remember Peter Schmeichel having a nightmare when Newcastle beat us 5-0 with a total of five shots in the 1996-1997 season. But he wasn’t a bad keeper and we went on to win the League.

"As Van der Sar stated last week Onana is a great keeper with all the necessary attributes. He’s been making some great saves but also some errors since December but his manager can’t stop tinkering with the defensive line up and that makes the job twice as hard.”

Commenter Medan25 agrees: “Any GK could make mistakes. You could judge a GK on some rare mistakes. Until now, Onana's games are correct. Manchester United's defensive line is the worst one in the Premier League. If Onana played the Champions League final with Inter, which is not such a talented team, that could help you to understand that Manchester United needs some changes and you could make the difference.

"Before Amorim, Onana made 6 clean sheets in the PL. And a new coach means a new system, that takes time to players to understand what Amorim needs for them. I don't really think that the problem of United is the GK. They need to make progress in their defensive strategy and Amorim is trying, and good days are coming soon.”

Others wonder what might have been if De Gea were still around. Panchopearson says: “Onana should be dropped and sold if possible in the summer. Another one of ETH's signings that are simply not good enough to play for Manchester United. Once again, I have to ask, who gave ETH the clearance to spend £50 million on a new sub-standard goalkeeper when all we had to do was ask De Gea to reduce his wages? Once again really poor management that we are now paying the price for.”

Glazerclowns writes: “It beggars belief how badly treated De Gea was.” Redtedjim agrees: “A definite downgrade from De Gea.”

Garth123 says: “I wouldn't quite say his form has regressed but he is inconsistent. In my opinion he will make a good No.2 keeper for United, but even in terms of No.2 keepers, we have had better in the past. He makes too many mistakes to actively keep the No.1 shirt and we have seen all too often very basic goalkeeping errors that have cost us. He never gives me that feeling of confidence and security, like the great goalkeepers we had in the past.”

MadMonk writes: “He’s made too many mistakes, but it seems like goalkeeping coach is an issue and his form improved under Ten Rouwelaar but hasn’t been as good with others. There have been a number of articles saying Onana has an unusual technique, and it may be he needs the right coach who can work with him, rather than trying to change him.

"Indifferent on whether he stays or goes, I think he’s better than he’s been showing for us, but he’s underperformed to the extent he couldn’t complain. There’s not an an obvious replacement and we need to identify the right person if we do go in a different direction.”

Have your say! What would solidify Manchester United at the back? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.