Manchester United’s goalkeeper crisis: Is there a solution?Â
Over the past few seasons, Manchester United has struggled with their goalkeeper situation. They had David De Gea for over a decade, but at the tail end of his tenure, he struggled to keep shots out and the club suffered as a result. De Gea’s struggles led to the club signing AndrĂ© Onana from Inter Milan for £47.2 million in the summer of 2023.
It was considered a home run move as Onana was playing in the Champions League Final for Inter. Unfortunately, it has not been a successful transfer since Onana has some good highs, but the lows are too far down for the club.
The issues with Onana
Man United has a talented goalkeeper in Onana as he is a risk-taker, has solid reaction speed, and is good with the ball at his feet. Unfortunately, his maverick attitude also makes him mistake-prone. It is generally better to have goalkeepers who play simple football to help their teammates play more calmly.
In almost every match, the Man United players look on edge. The defence can be solid, but when Onana fumbles potential saves, the opponent team scores the goals. The Europa League match against Olympique Lyonnais was a perfect example given that Onana’s two errors led to the 2-2 draw.
Outside his play between the sticks, Onana has controversies outside the pitch. Before the match against Lyon, he clashed with Nemanja Matić. The latter called him ‘one of the worst goalkeepers’ in Manchester United history, which Onana did not like. He responded on social media denying being disrespectful but then kept making errors in the match.
It can feel like Onana is making the headlines often, which is not recommended for GKs. Players in that position should stay in the background and only stand out when they need to make a save. That performance against Lyon led manager Ruben Amorim to drop Onana in the Premier League match against Newcastle United in favour of Altay Bayındır.
Altay Bayındır as the in-house alternative
Since Onana was dropped from the squad, Altay took over as the shot-stopper against Newcastle. He also had a bad performance, as he failed to keep the Magpies in check, as Newcastle won 4-1.
It was a disappointing match for Altay, which led him making a statement on his Instagram to apologise to Man U’s fans. He said, ‘Honored to make my PL debut for this club. Not the result we wanted, but I’ll keep pushing, keep fighting. We’ll be back stronger — keep believing’.
The Turkish goalkeeper is the alternative within the squad, but his struggles might make Amorim change his mind. Onana is still the first choice, but beyond the 2024-25 season, they might want to recruit new goalkeepers.
Man United could go into the market for new options
Man United’s goalkeeper troubles could prompt the club to look for new players. Sticking with Onana is an option, but he is low in confidence, which could decline more if he sticks with the club. That is why it could be an option for the club to look for others to challenge or replace the Cameroonian GK. Here are the top options in the market:
- Diogo Costa (Porto) - The Portuguese GK has been on the radar for Premier League sides before, the Porto shot-stopper could be a strong option for Man United, considering he is a strong GK with 82 clean sheets in 194 matches for Porto. His market value is around £33 million.
- Lucas Chevalier (Lille) - A less expensive option compared to Costa, the 23-year-old Chevalier has kept 10 clean sheets in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season. Since Lille is not guaranteed to play in the Champions League in the 2025-26 campaign, he could be available for a bargain fee for higher wages at Man United.
If Man United wants to part ways with Onana, these options might be the best solutions to their problems with their shot-stopper.
