26 July 2023 , 16:53
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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes Erik ten Hag should have kept David de Gea instead of replacing him with Andre Onana.
De Gea is currently a free agent after his contract expired and Ten Hag decided he wanted a goalkeeper better suited to playing out from the back. As a result, United went out and spent £47m to sign Onana from Inter Milan, with Ten Hag stating the 27-year-old's ability with the ball at his feet will change the way his side play.
However, ex-United stopper Foster believes the money his former club paid for Onana "could have been better spent elsewhere". And while he admits it was probably the right move to sign a more modern goalkeeper like Onana, Foster is concerned whether the rest of the United squad are ready for his style of play.
"He's obviously a very, very modern goalkeeper and that's what it is nowadays," Foster told The United Stand. "If Manchester United wanted to improve and progress, they had to sign Onana.
"That's the way that it goes and it's as simple as that. Whether or not the players around him are ready for that and be able to deal with constantly playing out from the back and him stepping up, acting like a real sweeper-keeper…
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"I've seen the way he plays and he's super high up, comfortably comes running out with the ball. That remains to be seen [if his team-mates are ready for that]. It'll be an interesting one but I do think it's the right move, probably."
Foster went on to warn Onana about the "pressure and expectation" on his shoulders now that he is United's new No.1, while praising the way De Gea dealt with it during his 12 year stay at Old Trafford. "Personally, I would have stuck with David for another season," Foster added.
Ex-United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes they should have kept David de Gea (Getty Images)Mirror Football is now on Threads!
"He had that year extension so he could have stayed. £47m could have been better spent elsewhere. But it is what it is, we have to move forward and it is probably a good signing. David has done such a good job because there is so much pressure and expectation when you play in goal for United.
"It's a really hard job. If you can guarantee a 6/10 or 7/10 [performance] every week like David did, that is worth its weight in gold. Onana is a very confident player, I've seen him doing Cruyff turns and this kind of stuff.
"But it will only take one or two for him to get caught out. Then it makes you start thinking maybe you shouldn't do that. Hopefully he hits the ground running but it's not as easy as that sometimes."