Two summers on the bounce now Manchester United have considered Zion Suzuki, but next summer a deal could be too tempting to refuse.
The goalkeeping position at Manchester United firmly belongs to Andre Onana right now, however, concerns are rightly still present over certain aspects of his game.
Paul Scholes saw it coming, admitting pre-season that Onana scared him to death, filling him with zero confidence on the ball or in his shot-stopping.
Onana is solid, but some instances such as the goals he conceded against Liverpool leave many desiring more from the goalkeeper – this could mean a successor is soon targeted.
If this is the case, Ineos will already have a file full of information on one excellent option.
Zion Suzuki was targeted during the summer of 2023 as an exciting prospect who was playing in Japan.
Now, Suzuki who was seen as being ‘one of the world’s greatest talents’ has begun proving himself in a top-five European league.
Zion Suzuki on fire in Serie A
After snubbing Manchester United last summer for St Truiden in Belgium, the decision ultimately paid off for the Japanese international.
Suzuki was the best goalkeeper in Belgium last season in his debut campaign which proved his credentials on European soil after his only previous experience in Japan leaving a United move too big a jump.
Now, months after making the leap to Parma in Serie A, Suzuki is already impressing in a top-five league.
So far Suzuki has played three games – although his third was cut short by a red card after clashing with Napoli’s David Neres.
But in his games to date, he has faced 17 shots and made 15 saves. This gives him a save percentage of 88.2 per cent as per FBref.
All of this while conceding just twice – which is very good considering the amount of shots he has to deal with.
Suzuki’s on-ball quality has also been clear as day, with impressive pass completion rates.
- Short – 16/16 (100%)
- Medium – 47/47 (100%)
- Long – 28/58 (48.3%)
Suzuki is one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in world football, and if his Serie A season continues along these lines, United might need to pounce in the summer of 2025, with interest reported for Suzuki in the summer of 2024.
Andre Onana’s days as Manchester United No.1 are numbered
While Onana is far from the biggest problem at United, replacing him next summer might be the next step on the path to building a squad capable of reaching a title-challenging level.
This season through three games, Onana has faced nine shots on target and quite dismally, he has saved just four of them which equals a save percentage of just 44.4 per cent – a figure placing him rock bottom in the Premier League.
This is just under half of the percentage Suzuki boasts, while just Alisson and David Raya have percentages higher in the Premier League – which quite frankly is not good enough and is a contributing factor in why United have lost twice.
Therefore it could be that United and Ineos eye up Suzuki for next summer, initially to be ushered in slowly before taking the No.1 role if Onana shows no improvements.
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