Andre Onana’s poor performances at Manchester United this season could be down to a lack of training after a year suspended.
That’s according to Ronald Waterreus, who believes the goalkeeper may have relied too heavily on his talent and is now being found out for it.
Onana joined Manchester United in a €50.2m deal in the summer as Erik ten Hag sought out a reunion with his former Ajax goalkeeper following David De Gea’s struggles last season.
He arrived with a big reputation after an impressive year at Inter Milan where he had moved on a free transfer from Ajax and quickly established himself as number one with a series of big displays, particularly in their run to the Champions League final.
He’s been unable to replicate his form at Old Trafford, though, looking consistently shaky in the Premier League and Champions League, where he’s conceded 14 goals in five games and 21 in 16 games respectively.
It’s led to plenty of criticism and questions about what has gone wrong for him given how well he was performing last year, which led Manchester United to pay such a big fee for him.
Waterreus believes he has the answer, questioning if Onana had become somewhat complacent after spending nine months on the sidelines thanks to a drug ban.
“Andre Onana was the best goalkeeper in the world three or four years ago,” he said.
“Personally, I think he has benefitted from his talent a lot. I think what is happening to him now is simply a result of a year of inactivity and a bit too little training anyway.
“I cannot imagine that someone who was so good at Ajax and was never late, now makes mistakes every week.”
