Manchester United took the major decision of letting go of long-term club servant David de Gea in the summer and in came Andre Onana, fresh off of a Champions League final appearance for Inter Milan.
The Spaniard made several high-profile errors and was generally poor while trying to build up play from the back, forcing Erik ten Hag to take the drastic step.
The Cameroonian is known for being adept with his feet and United were supposed to improve while playing out from the back with the former Ajax shot-stopper in goal.
Onana’s difficult start
However, the 27-year-old has struggled with his shot-stopping while the lack of a stable back-four has meant he is yet to convince while playing out from the back either.
The United No 1 showed his superior passing skills against Liverpool and the manager will hope to see more of it in the weeks to come and the team are training to improve this aspect.
As The Manchester Evening News pointed out, Onana was seen training with the main group on the eve of the West Ham game and was involved in the close-quarter drills
United usually train in groups with the goalkeepers training away from the main group but Ten Hag seems to be intent on improving his team’s passing from the back.
“It has become common practice during United training sessions for the keepers to do their own thing while the outfield players focus on what they need to work on.
Onana training
“However, with playing out from the back being such a crucial element of football these days, this approach does seem outdated.
“Ten Hag appears to have noticed this and has brought Onana into the outfield training sessions this week where he appears to have been involved in a close-quarters drill with his teammates.”
It has not been an easy start to life for the goalie and getting his passing right is the first step to helping the Cameroonian getting his mojo back.
The Dutch boss will be hoping Onana can prove the manager fought for his inclusion in the summer.
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