Andre Onana is “super confident”, but Manchester United legend Gary Pallister admits the goalkeeper’s ball-playing antics “put the fear of god in me!”
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The Red Devils made a point of refreshing their keeping department during the summer of 2023. Long-serving David de Gea was allowed to depart, with Cameroon international Onana prised away from Inter in a £47 million ($58m) deal to fill the vacant No.1 spot. Turkey international Altay Bayindir has also been acquired, with plenty of emphasis being placed on finding last lines of defence that are comfortable with their feet.
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United were warned when signing Onana that “mistakes” would come as part of his package, and former Red Devils defender Pallister – speaking on behalf of – has told GOAL of the 27-year-old shot-stopper and why letting De Gea leave came as something of a surprise: “There was a lot of silence about what was going on there. David was a great servant. I would still put him in the top 10 goalkeepers in the world. The manager was looking for something a little bit different. Onana is a guy that’s super confident, very comfortable with the ball at his feet and playing out – which is a style that managers seem to want now. It puts the fear of god in me when I see it. That’s the way he plays the game, the way Erik wants to play the game and there is a big onus on keepers to be able to do that.”
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Pressed on whether Onana has taken things too far in the ball-playing direction, with a few questions having already been asked of his ability to keep the ball out of the net, Pallister – who once played alongside the legendary Peter Schmeichel – added: “The ultimate thing is commanding your box and stopping the ball from going in your net. The penalty that wasn’t given in the opening game of the season had everybody talking about it. We have got to see him over a period of time before we make our decisions on whether he is top class. If you play for Inter, you aren’t a bad keeper. He’s made some good saves, he’s had a decent start and it’s a watching brief now.”
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Among the other big-money signings to be made by United during the summer transfer window of 2023 was England international playmaker Mason Mount – who was snapped up from Chelsea for £60m ($74m). He has taken on the fabled No.7 jersey at Old Trafford once worn by the likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Quizzed on whether he can follow in those illustrious footsteps, Pallister said of Mount: "We have seen plenty of Mason playing for Chelsea and know what kind of player he is. I don’t think the balance was right at the start of the season when he was playing in that three – the Wolves game, they were driving through the midfield and we didn’t really engage that and try to stop it. He’s played two games and then Erik’s left him out.
"It’s a tough place to go and playing in front of 76,000 people every week and having the spotlight on you for a lot of money. It’s a lot of expectation on him and at times it can be overwhelming. We’re trying to bed him down into the team and it’s maybe not a bad thing to take him out and take stock. He’s a talented player, he’s got goals, creativity and I think it’s about finding that right balance in midfield for him to play in."