John Murtough in full agreement with Erik ten Hag over Man Utd transfer decision
John Murtough has joined Erik ten Hag in lauding the technical ability of Andre Onana following the goalkeeper's switch to Manchester United.
Onana, 27, emerged as the club's primary target once the decision had been made to part ways with David de Gea. The Spaniard, who spent over a decade at Old Trafford, left the club as a free agent following months of speculation over his future.
Despite winning the Premier League Golden Glove award back in May, there were major reservations over De Gea's ability to play out from the back. Onana, on the other hand, is renowned for his technical ability and has already been tipped to add a new dimension to Manchester United's build-up play after completing his switch from Inter Milan by both Murtough and Ten Hag.
Murtough, United's football director, told club media: “Andre was our top choice to become the new goalkeeper for Manchester United, with exactly the right profile of technical attributes and personality. Having achieved success throughout his career, we know that Andre will further add to the winning mentality we are building within our squad.
“He is already one of the world’s best goalkeepers and at the age of 27 we firmly believe that he can develop even further over the coming years.”
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Murtough's mention of technical attributes tallied up with comments made by Ten Hag, who knows Onana from his days at Ajax.
Join the debate! Do you think Onana will be a good signing for Man Utd? Let us know here.
Andre Onana has been praised by John Murtough and Erik ten Hag after joining Manchester United (Mattia Ozbot - Inter/Inter via Getty Images)On multiple occasions last season, Ten Hag offered up a robust defence of De Gea after he was criticised by fans and pundits alike for his poor ball-playing ability. However, the Dutchman opted to make a major change in the goalkeeping department when the opportunity presented itself by bringing in a shot-stopper who is more than comfortable with the ball at his feet.
Speaking to MUTV, Ten Hag said of Onana: “Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets and he's not doing that on his own. Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, [it's] quite clear. But also the capabilities of a keeper is [about] keeping the goal clean.
“But, nowadays, football also demands good playing from the back, out-playing qualities, and that is a quality Andre has. You need both and you need to cover both areas. So yeah, we're happy, of course.
“I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He's so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels.”
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