Manchester United legend Jaap Stam has described Andre Onana as “insecure” after working with the 28-year-old goalkeeper at Ajax. Ruben Amorim has been urged to sign some competition for Onana after an encouraging start to his second season between the sticks at Old Trafford deteriorated into a series of costly mistakes that have left doubts rife.
Erik ten Hag recruited the Cameroon international to replace David de Gea in 2023 after United failed to agree a new contract with their long-term No. 1. Onana had been one of the best goalkeepers in Europe in the previous season, helping Inter Milan reach the Champions League before completing his £47million switch. However, he severely underwhelmed throughout his maiden year and was particularly blunderous in United’s disastrous 2023/24 Champions League group-stage campaign.
And Onana has slipped into similar habits in recent months, wiping out a head-turning start to the season where it looked as if he had rediscovered his groove.
The United No. 24 has kept 21 clean sheets in 90 appearances in all competitions, conceding 136 goals across two troublesome seasons for the club.
A new goalkeeper features among many a fan’s summer transfer wishlist, though Amorim is likely to have multiple other positions to prioritise.
Stam, who coached Jong Ajax from 2014 to 2016, recalls working with Onana and has suggested there are still aspects of his game that are hampering United.
The Old Trafford icon, part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble-winning squad, believes Amorim needs to recruit another goalkeeper to push Onana towards improvement.
“I think they’re going to get some competition in for him. You need to have goalkeepers who are very competitive,” Stam told casinobeats.com.
“Onana looks a bit insecure in how he plays now. I worked with him at Ajax, and when I did the Under-23s, he joined my team a lot of times because he wasn’t ready yet for the first team.
“Ten Hag wanted him to be confident on the ball, but now it seems like he needs to kick it long a lot quicker.
“He’s not as much involved in the buildup play as he was before; maybe that makes him more insecure.
“I still think he’s got great reactions but he still needs to make better decisions at times as well.”
Onana is expected to continue as United’s starting goalkeeper next season, with Altay Bayindir as his backup.
Amorim will likely sign a new goalkeeper, though, ahead of third-choice Tom Heaton’s anticipated departure once his contract expires.
