Edwin Van Der Sar explains why Andre Onana flopped at Man Utd and backs new No.1
edwin van der sar has laid out why Andre Onana’s move to Manchester United failed, pointing to the goalkeeper’s costly errors after joining from Inter for £47m ($63m) in 2023 and praising Senne Lammens as a steady replacement.
Edwin Van Der Sar on Onana's Old Trafford slide
Van der Sar, who won four Premier League titles and reached three Champions League finals with the Red Devils, said he knew Onana from his time at Ajax and expected success when Onana arrived to replace David de Gea for a £47m fee in 2023 (£47m / $63m stated in the context). He told The Overlap on Sky Bet that he worked with Onana for "three or four years" at Ajax, where Onana came in as a third-choice goalkeeper and was "very eager to step up and become the first choice. " Van der Sar said he still thinks Onana has "tremendous qualities – reflections and his feet, " but that "he has the odd mistake in him that makes you think 'That’s crazy, how can he do that'. "
How the errors unfolded at Old Trafford
The trouble began early: Onana was lobbed from the halfway line in his first game at Old Trafford against Lens, a moment Van der Sar points to as the start of "many high-profile errors" that hurt United's Champions League campaign. The context notes Nemanja Matic labelled Onana "the worst goalkeeper in Man United's history" before the Europa League quarter-final tie with Lyon, and Onana then made two blunders in the 2-2 draw in the first leg of that tie. His last match for United saw two mistakes that led to goals in a humiliating Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby Town, and days later he left on loan for Turkish side Trabzonspor.
The loan to Trabzonspor and a possible permanent exit
Onana, the 29-year-old who failed to impress across two seasons at Old Trafford while making a string of high-profile errors under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, moved to Trabzonspor on loan in the summer transfer window. There is understood to be an option in that deal for Trabzonspor to make the transfer permanent in the summer, and Manchester United are not looking at bringing him back, per the information in the context.
Senne Lammens' arrival and United's goalkeeper reboot
Manchester United spent £18m to sign Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp as Onana’s replacement after turning down the opportunity to sign World Cup-winning Emi Martinez. The Belgian, 23 years old, has impressed so far; the context says he has made none of the high-profile gaffes that dogged Onana and has provided extra security as United push to finish in the top four. Van der Sar said Lammens "is doing well, " noting it has been "only seven or eight months" and that Lammens appears to know the physicality of the Premier League, coming for balls in the penalty spot and claiming them with confidence.
Stability, squad turnover and a match made in heaven that unraveled
Van der Sar emphasised stability as a core issue, saying Manchester United "haven't had stability for the last six or seven years" with changes to the back four, centre-halves, midfielders and coaches, making it difficult for new players to settle. He reiterated that he had expected Onana to thrive — "I absolutely thought that he would succeed when he first came here" — noting Onana had done well at Ajax, "did well in Italy and played in a Champions League final, " and that he had once thought the move was "a match made in heaven. " Van der Sar also warned that "a lot of players who have come here in the last eight or nine years have not reached the level that people expected them to reach. "
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What comes next is the window on the Trabzonspor loan: the deal contains an option to make Onana’s move permanent in the summer, and the context states Manchester United are not planning to bring him back, while Lammens continues as United’s first-choice goalkeeper in the current campaign.
