Former Manchester United player Jaap Stam has given his verdict about Onana – a player he has closely worked with during his time at Ajax.
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Manchester United supporters would have been extremely pleased with the business the team has done in the ongoing summer transfer window so far. The Red Devils have already signed two quality first-team players. Mason Mount made the switch from Chelsea to Manchester United, something not many anticipated towards the end of last season. It was followed by Andre Onana’s arrival from Inter Milan.
The Cameroonian shot-stopper is the one that has made the fans excited massively. He is the ideal definition of a modern goalkeeper, who can not only make saves but is equally good with his distribution from the back. It is these qualities which has made Andre Onana an exciting prospect. Former Manchester United player Jaap Stam has given his verdict about Onana – a player he has closely worked with during his time at Ajax.
“Andre is very comfortable on the ball. You know, I worked with Andre Onana at Ajax, when I was taking the Under-23s, and when he was there, and came through at Ajax. So he played a lot of games with myself in the Under-23s in the second league in Holland. And he’s a player who is, at first, he’s a very good person. He’s very calm and very down to earth. He likes to joke as well. So you can laugh with him as well,” Stam told the club’s website.
The former centre-back also went into depth to explain about Onana’s game style, which is something the fans need to keep an eye out for. “But he’s a very, very honest person and a very good goalkeeper. You know, his reflexes are immense, they are very good. He’s very quick, on the line as well and coming out. He reads the game well and is good on the ball. He’s very comfortable, always. You know, he’s delaying, at times, as well, he’s trying to suck players in and then playing that decisive pass through the middle,” he explained.
He added: “Probably, a lot of fans will think, okay, what’s he doing now? So you need to get used to that a little bit as well. But that is how the modern game is being played by goalkeepers who are very confident on the ball and find the right pass. He’s very good with his left foot as well, so he can play with his right but also with his left. He’s not afraid to use that as well. So he’s an athlete in goal, which is very exciting to see.”
At a club like Manchester United, skills alone might not be enough, as the players would also need to have a certain type of character and strong mentality to succeed. Stam believes Onana has the necessary personality to thrive at Old Trafford. “Oh yeah, he has [that],” Stam added.
“He’s very calm and he is approaching the game very well and he’s been playing very important games for Ajax and in Italy at Inter. Of course, he’s been playing in big games as well. He played in the semi-final of the Champions League [for Ajax] and in the final of the Champions League last season, against [Manchester] City. So he’s been used to playing big games and I think he can have an impact at United.”
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