Career
Onana was spotted playing football on the streets of Cameroon's capital Yaounde by a member of the Samuel Eto'o Foundation - a charitable organization founded by Samuel Eto'o. Onana was signed by Barcelona at the age of 14 and played at Blaugrana's La Masia youth academy, where he became the number 1 goalkeeper of his generation.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper has developed remarkably during his time at Barcelona and has stood out at under-19 level. But with the solidity of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Onana decided to move to Ajax in 2015, debuting in the 2016-17 season.
At Ajax, Onana met coach Erik ten Hag, who arrived at Johan Cruijff Arena in 2017. The Cameroonian goalkeeper has proven himself to be a perfect match for Ten Hag's ball control style of play.
In total, he made 214 appearances, won 2 Dutch national championships, and helped Ajax reach the semi-finals of the 2019 Champions League.
Onana's 9-month ban for doping was a regrettable decision that stalled his career in 2021. Onana returned to action in November and helped Cameroon finish third in the African Nations Cup at home.
Onana did not renew with Ajax and arrived at Inter Milan on a free transfer in the summer of 2022. Controversy broke out again when the 27-year-old goalkeeper gave up his international career in December due to disagreements with the Cameroonian coach on tactics.
After that, Onana still showed stability in the club's shirt, helping Inter reach the Champions League final. He has only conceded 36 goals in 41 matches at Inter, keeping a clean sheet in 19 matches.
Statistics
Last season's statistics showed that Onana was an upgrade for De Gea in terms of playing style. The 27-year-old has made an average of 27.1 home passes, compared to De Gea's 17.1. He also passed 79.17% accurately compared to 68.33% of De Gea.
Onana has a slightly better save percentage (72.09%) than De Gea (70.14%), but the Spaniard has faced more shots.
Compared to some of the Premier League's top goalkeepers, Onana has a better save percentage than Liverpool's Alisson (71.52%) and Man City's Ederson (58.97%).
Onana's pass completion rate is lower than Alisson (83.37%) and Ederson (84.40%) but he shows a trend of passing the ball forward (17.8 times per 90 minutes) - a feature that is very suitable for Ten Hag's style.
Strength
Man United will benefit immediately from Onana's constructive play. Ten Hag has not always been able to deploy the system he has wanted since coming to Old Trafford. And recruiting Onana will be a turning point.
Onana is a clear upgrade for De Gea when holding the ball in his feet, and is also more resistant to pressure. In particular, Onana can pass the ball well with both feet.
Weaknesses
At 27, Onana has yet to reach the peak of a goalkeeper and has to deal better with long-range shots. In general, Onana needs to be consistent when he is often too early or hesitant with his decisions.
