Onana'll be a pass master for Utd: After De Gea failed to keep up with the times

Manchester United's handling of David de Gea's departure after 12 years at Old Trafford can certainly be questioned.

The decision they ultimately reached to replace him, though, should be less of a debating point.

Especially if Andre Onana goes on to succeed De Gea in the way he is expected to.

'It could be a huge signing in terms of style and where Manchester United can go,' said Dr John Harrison, an increasingly prominent authority in the world of goalkeeper analysis.

'Andre Onana is exactly the profile of goalkeeper they needed to go for.

'It's potentially the sort of move that they need to make to go from top four and winning cups to challenging for a title and getting far in the Champions League.

'De Gea was a very solid keeper if you want to be around the top four but over the course of the season, you will face more shots with him than you would if you had someone in goal who was better at preventing shots happening in the first place.

'And if you can't use the goalkeeper in the build up as much it limits what your team can do. Onana, Manchester United fans will hope, is a ceiling raiser so you can move that level up.'

Harrison is head of data science at Goalkeeper xG (Goalkeeper.com) who have devised a model which allows them to quantify everything stoppers do and better explain the impact of their actions.

Their expertise informs football authorities and clubs operating at the highest level of the game across the world.

Through their research Goalkeeper xG explores the position in even greater depth and, among other things, can conclude whether right decisions are being made by goalkeepers or certain shots should be saved.

They are also able to identify the ideal type of goalkeeper that different clubs need based on the type of situations they commonly face.

In United's case, 68 per cent of De Gea's workload last season was shot stopping, 28 per cent was shot prevention and just four per cent was distribution.

Meanwhile, in those categories, Goalkeeper xG's findings had De Gea as the Premier League's fifth best shot stopper out of 39, 36th when it came to shot preventing actions and 20th in terms of distribution.

'He was not the worst goalkeeper in the league,' Harrison said. 'He was 10th overall, so in the top quarter. But for Manchester United and for a guy on £375,000-per-week they don't want a guy in the top quarter … they need one in the top two or three.

'In terms of replacing De Gea and not renewing his contract I think it was sensible from United.

'When he was in his prime and the No.1 shot-stopper, that outweighed the fact that he was an average distributor and poor preventer.'

That is no longer the case now though.

A big and connected issue for De Gea was the change of style Erik Ten Hag wanted to implement which he often looked uncomfortable with.

United took a lot more short goal-kicks putting increased pressure on whoever was between the sticks.

It was also noticeable how Ten Hag's plans to play a higher line were scaled back, they reduced how often they passed the ball back to De Gea and also played out from the back due to the Spaniard's limitations.

Those plans will be back on the agenda again now with Onana's style in stark contrast to De Gea's.

He came through Barcelona's famous La Masia academy but arrived there already boasting some of the qualities synonymous with their players – an ease in possession, in his case, using either foot to play short or long.

One of the big things he worked on at Barcelona was how to read the game and pick out an unmarked teammate when distributing, something he displayed on the biggest stage of the Champions League final against Manchester City.

Meanwhile, watching Manuel Neuer at the 2010 World Cup was also a game-changer for a young Onana who was inspired by the German's sweeper-keeper style.

Harrison said: 'If they do sign Onana, I expect the distribution percentage will be way higher because they'll pass back more, the shot prevention through cross claiming and sweeping will increase and I imagine he'll face more through balls than last season. De Gea faced very few and that's linked to the team playing deeper as sweeping was not one of his strengths.

'Onana will help Manchester United recycle the ball and keep possession but also he's got that eye for a killer pass and that calmness to lure opposing teams in and then unlock defences, making it easier for the attacking players in his team.

'Teams do not want to be counter-attacked by Man United and will try and sit and make a deep block.

'But if they're facing a goalkeeper who'll just keep walking up the pitch with the ball, they've got to pressure him at some point. If he's then calm enough to play good passes and not just automatically go long, it should be a recipe for success.'

As impressive as he is with his feet, Harrison is keen to stress that, such was De Gea's workload Onana will not get away with not being good with his hands too.

He may not be an equal to peak De Gea in that sense and Harrison expects United's success in that area to drop with Onana, which might spark questions if the difference is too great.

But Harrison said: 'He might not save you the odd game like De Gea would, but over the course of 38 games in a season he should face far fewer shots than De Gea would because of his pro-activeness and the fact that he'll allow Manchester United to keep more of the ball.'

That view might irk the traditionalists but Harrison explained: 'Being a good shot stopper is crucial and the most important part of goalkeeping, but not the be-all and end-all.

'Saving a shot is the last thing a keeper has to do and potentially you could have done something before. An elite shot preventer can be as good as a great shot stopper.

'Onana will be a great addition to the Premier League. It will be super exciting to see him.

'He's just going to keep pushing the boundaries of goalkeeping further and further forwards.'

Doing so in the way the 27 year-old does means mistakes might well come with the territory.

Onana's approach is high risk, high reward, with some bold decisions made and positions taken up.

He is well aware of the dangers but relishes the pressure and has no fear, believing it is all worth it if his actions result in his team ending up in advantageous situations.

Ironically, the last time he felt fear on the pitch was the 2017 Europa League final when his young Ajax team froze against United's senior stars. After that, he vowed, never again, which is good news for United now he has joined them.

Harrison added: 'He might do an Alisson [when he joined Liverpool], hit the ground running and be completely fine.

'But I would also not judge him too harshly on a few early mistakes if he makes them because he's definitely one of those goalkeepers who's so proactive that the good will outweigh the bad eventually.

'For Manchester United and their fans it will be exciting. He's one of those goalkeepers you'd pay money to watch because you want to see what he is doing.'