When Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag benched veteran goalkeeper David de Gea in favor of the younger Andre Onana, the move was widely seen as the result of ten Hag’s search for a more technologically savvy and stylistically compatible replacement.

De Gea, who had been Man United’s most consistent defensive player for the better part of a decade, began to show indications of decline last season, including handling errors and a lack of awareness in the team’s loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup Final.

However, Onana was a pivotal player for Inter Milan, helping them win the Coppa Italia with a save percentage of 90% and advance to the Champions League final.

Once the summer transfer market opened, it was evident that Ten Hag’s goal was to find a goalkeeper who could play with the ball at his feet and provide support for his outfield teammates in place of the elderly De Gea.

However, some alarming errors from Onana this season have raised concerns about whether or not Ten Hag made the right call when he spent £47 million on the player and decided to part ways with United veteran David De Gea.

United’s Champions League group stage opener against Bayern Munich ended in defeat when Onana couldn’t handle a long shot from Leroy Sane.

After the 4-3 loss, Onana said, “Today is one of my worst games,” and he also said, “The team was good, we didn’t win this game because of me.”

Onana has also been subpar in the Premier League this season, as he has allowed 18 goals in 10 games.

While multiple defenders, not only Onana, are responsible for United’s defensive struggles, the marquee signing had a particularly dismal night in United’s 3-2 Champions League home loss to Galatasaray on Wednesday.

Because Onana’s play was so concerning, Ten Hag said he would have a talk with the goalie in person to try to set him straight.

A direct comparison of De Gea’s last three seasons with United and Onana’s current campaign was made yesterday by The Sun.

De Gea’s 69.7 percent save percentage was far higher than Onana’s 64.7%, while the Spaniard’s 0.09 goals allowed per 90 minutes (including goals) was over half of Onana’s 0.20.

According to Sports Brief, De Gea committed 0.03 errors per game that resulted in a shooting, whereas Onana committed 0.2.

However, Onana’s ability to make saves wasn’t the main factor in United’s decision to sign him.

While Onana has received praise for his outstanding passing game and creative play with the ball at his feet, the data suggest that his performance has not much surpassed that of De Gea.

Although Onana’s 76% passing accuracy is higher than De Gea’s 69% accuracy, as seen in the preceding X post, the difference is not particularly large.

Even if he’s a better all-around player, his primary role as a goalkeeper at a top team like United requires him to make saves and keep clean sheets.

Onana will need to quickly improve his game to win favor with United fans, silence his critics, and prove that he can be the world class keeper that he proved to be prior to his move to Old Trafford, even though it is still far too early in the season to determine whether or not the transfer was a mistake.