Andre Onana is a “downgrade” on David de Gea and Erik ten Hag may need an “upgrade” on the Manchester United No 1 at the end of the season.
That is according to BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton, who said he is “not so sure” about Onana and claims that he has “made a lot of blunders this season.”
Onana has come under the spotlight this season after he replaced De Gea as United’s No 1, with the former Ajax star now facing mounting pressure.
The 27-year-old Cameroonian shot-stopper reunited with ex-Ajax boss Ten Hag at Old Trafford after United signed him from Inter Milan in an initial £43.8m deal.
De Gea left United in the summer after talks over a new contract broke down, despite his willingness to take a significant pay cut as part of a new deal.
Onana has been levelled with heavy criticism after he made costly mistakes in United’s Champions League defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
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Sutton hits out at ‘downgrade’ Onana
Ten Hag will now face calls for Onana to be dropped over his run of form at United, with the Red Devils star’s costly mistakes impacting his side’s performances.
However, Sutton has now made a bold claim that United could be forced to “make a change” with Onana next summer by bringing in an “upgrade” signing.
When asked if United made a mistake in signing Onana, he told The Daily Mail: “I think he’s a downgrade on De Gea. I really do. I’ve seen enough of him.
“Is he better than De Gea with his feet? Probably, only just. But I’m more interested in him keeping the ball out the back of the net and I think he’s made a lot of blunders this season. A lot of goalkeeping errors.
“You go to the game against Bayern Munich, a couple of errors, and even the game this week [against Galatasaray] where I thought the third goal, he went down so early.
“I’m not so sure about him. I think Manchester United will make a change. I’m not saying this season but I think at the end of the season they need to get an upgrade on Onana.”
Onana must weather the storm at United
Onana now faces a big challenge in turning the tide back in his favour at United and shutting down his critics once and for all.
The Cameroon international showed his true quality last season when he played a key role in Inter’s stunning run to the Champions League final.
It was never going to be an easy task to follow in the footsteps of De Gea, who firmly established himself as a club legend over his successful run at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag could take a page out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s playbook by withdrawing Onana from criticism similar to De Gea’s early run at United.
United summer signing Altay Bayindir could step in for Onana for the Brentford clash at Old Trafford on Saturday if Ten Hag decides to make that all-important call.
But a sudden change could be a further blow to Onana’s confidence and potentially the last thing an under-pressure Ten Hag needs right now is his No 1 to be dropped.
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