July 11th 2023.
Danny Murphy has backed Manchester United's pursuit of Andre Onana as a great addition to his potential new side. The Red Devils are looking to add the Cameroon international to their ranks with the need for a new No.1 exacerbated by the departure of David de Gea.
Murphy believes that Onana's press resistance and calmness on the ball represent key traits that Erik ten Hag wants in a goalkeeper and his purchase would represent a major step forward in the Dutchman's rebuilding project.
"Yeah massive," Murphy told talkSPORT when asked if Onana's arrival would make a big different to United's style of play. "I think it’s massive in the way that when you watch City, and there’s a really good press on them, from a good side, he is so comfortable missing out the first press with a lovely little ping out wide to a full back or a wide man who’s dropped, a full back who’s pushed on."
He added that Onana has the capability to play clever little passes through into United's technical players with good spatial awareness, such as Fernandes, Mount, and Casemiro. Opponents might get 'bored' of the tactics they would have employed to expose De Gea's weaknesses and teams will have to play differently against United this season.
"I think a lot of teams who like playing on the front foot will still have a press, but what they’ll do is they’ll get bored quicker, and they’ll go, ‘woah, we’ve had a go, and they keep playing through us, and we’re gonna get battered'," Murphy said.
"Because United have got great pace, whoever they sign as a nine’s gonna add quality, they’ve got Rashford, Antony."
The Red Devils are confident of sealing a deal to sing Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana and Murphy believes this could be a crucial addition to United's rebuilding project. He believes that with Onana's capabilities, the team will be able to play much more freely and that opponents will have to adjust their tactics to make up for the new threat.
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