Former Ajax and Inter Milan stopper Andre Onana is the latest goalkeeper to take the number one jersey at Manchester United, but he has big gloves to fill.

Andre Onana is a goalkeeper for Manchester United in the Premier League, and formerly the Cameroon national side.

He already has plenty of silverware in his cabinet, winning the Eredivisie three times with Ajax, also claiming the KNVB Cup twice and picking up a runners-up medal following defeat in the 2017 Europa League final against Manchester United.

Onana was banned for 12 months by UEFA in 2021 after testing positive for the diuretic Furosemide, but the suspension was reduced to nine months as he claimed he had accidentally taken the medicine prescribed for his wife.

He went on to win the 2023 Coppa Italia with Inter, where he once again came up on the losing side of a major European final after the 1-0 loss to Manchester City in June of the same year.

On July 20 2023, Onana completed his move from Inter Milan to Manchester United for an initial 51million euros (£43.8m) with add-ons.

On the world stage, Onana was part the Cameroon side that finished third in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but after falling out with head coach Rigobert Song at the 2022 World Cup he retired from international football.

Early career

Onana began his football journey at the Samuel Eto'o Academy and then joined Barcelona as a 14-year-old in 2010.

He was loaned to Cornella in the 2012/13 season, and then Vista Alegre the following season.

On his return to Barcelona he made six apperances in the UEFA Youth League in the 2014/15 season, before Ajax swooped.

Ajax and substance ban

Onana joined Ajax in January 2015 and went straight into the Jong Ajax side and played with them until moving up to the first team in the 2016/17 season.

After becoming a first-team regular he made 46 appearances in the 2016/17 season and picked up a runners-up medal in the Europa League final after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.

He went on to become an important part of the Ajax side that won the Eredivisie in 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2021/22. He also won the KNVB Cup in 2019 and 2021.

In February 2021, Onana served a ban for violating UEFA's doping rules - his initial one-year suspension was reduced to nine months on appeal.

Having tested positive for the diuretic drug Furosemide, Onana claimed to have taken his wife's medication by mistake.

His ban began in February 2021 and featured for Ajax just six times the following season before leaving for Inter when his contract expired.

Moving to Italy

Onana joined the Italian giants in July 2022 on a five-year contract, but only lasted one season in Milan.

Samir Handanovic started the season in goal and Onana had to wait until October for his first league appearance. He shared duties with Handanovic in the league and Coppa Italia during the run-in - as Inter finished third in Serie A.

He played 41 games across all competitions in the 2022/23 season and won the Supercoppa Italiana and the Coppa Italia.

The 27-year-old was also a key part of Inter's march to the 2023 Champions League final, which they lost 1-0 to Manchester City.

Onana kept a tournament-high eight clean sheets in their 13 Champions League matches, including five from six in the knockout stages.

Joining Manchester United

The 27-year-old shot-stopper had been top of Erik ten Hag's wish list this summer as United looked to replace long-serving David De Gea.

United reached an agreement with Serie A side Inter to sign Onana for an initial 51m euros (£43.8m) with a potential further 4m euros (£3.4m) in add-ons. He signed a five-year deal with the option of a further season.

The goalkeeper should slot seamlessly into Ten Hag's system thanks to his ability and confidence on the ball, which he used to great effect at Inter and prior to that under the Dutchman at Ajax.

He said: "To join Manchester United is an incredible honour and I have worked hard all my life to get to this moment, overcoming many obstacles along the way.

"Walking out at Old Trafford to defend our goal and contribute to the team will be another amazing experience. This is the start of a new journey for me, with new teammates and new ambitions to fight for.

"Manchester United has a long history of incredible goalkeepers, and I will now give everything to create my own legacy in the coming years.

"I am excited by the opportunity to work again with Erik ten Hag, and I can't wait to play my part in the success I know he is determined to deliver at this great football club."

 

Onana has conceded 33 goals in 20 games since ten Hag signed him from Inter Milan this summer.

He has conceded only 16 in 13 Premier League appearances – a slight improvement on De Gea’s record under Ten Hag at the same stage of last season, when he had conceded 18 – but remarkably has topped that in only seven appearances in other competitions, which also include a 3-0 Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle.

By this date last season, United had conceded 25 goals in 21 games in all competitions – De Gea accounting for 23 in 20, albeit with his European appearances coming in the Europa League. Martin Dubravka was in goal for the 4-2 League Cup win over Aston Villa.

Onana has seven clean sheets with United, including a stoppage-time penalty save in the 1-0 home win over Copenhagen, but has conceded three or more on eight occasions – De Gea did so only six times the whole of last season, though they included losing 6-3 to Manchester City and 7-0 to Liverpool.

United have this season lost league games 3-1 to Arsenal and Brighton and 3-0 to City, in addition to the Newcastle tie and the four Champions League games.

Eight games represent 40 per cent of Onana’s United appearances to date, while De Gea conceded three or more in less than 10 per cent of games over his 12 years at Old Trafford.

That ‘one extreme or the other’ approach this season leaves only five exceptions in which United have conceded either once or twice. They have four clean sheets and have conceded three or four in their other four games since beating Sheffield United 2-1 on October 21.

Cameroon's number one?

Onana played for the youth teams of his home country before he was handed his senior international debut in September 2016, just months after being given his Ajax bow, and went on to make 34 appearances.

The last of those came in Cameroon's opening game of the 2022 World Cup, a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland.

He was then dropped by manager Rigobert Song and left the Indomitable Lions camp following an alleged bust-up with the head coach over his tactics.

Onana soon announced his retirement from international football and, so far, has not made a return to the Cameroon set-up.

Personal life

Onana is married to Melanie Kamayou, who is reportedly a pharmacist.

Net worth

Onana is reportedly on £100,000 per week at Manchester United and is believed to have a net worth of £4m.