André Onana: From Being the Problem to Becoming the Solution in Manchester United

The Red Devils' goalkeeper has gone from the butt of all jokes to an indomitable force in the face of relentless pressure. 

Now no-one is laughing at Andre Onana!! Cameroonian has silenced critics and Man Utd would be in a far worse place without him

Manchester United set an unwanted record last weekend but at least one person came out of it looking good; Erik ten Hag's side conceded 23 shots on goal in their unconvincing 2-0 win over Everton - the most efforts any team has received in a Premier League game without letting in a goal since 2010.

The statistic did not reflect well on Ten Hag's ability to organise his team or on his porous midfield, but it did reflect well on Andre Onana, who made six saves against the Toffees. Another worrying statistic soon emerged: United had faced 20 or more shots in five of their past six Premier League games. However, during those games, they had conceded just five goals and kept two clean sheets - another positive reflection on Onana.

After being justifiably blamed for the team's poor results earlier in the season and particularly their failure in the Champions League, the Cameroonian has turned the narrative on its head. Whereas before he was cited as one of the main factors in United's troubles, now he is bailing his side out. It has taken some time, but the real Onana is now standing up and standing tall

Keeping busy yet keeping clean sheets

It is never easy for any player to adapt to a new league, particularly goalkeepers. David de Gea had a famously rocky first year in England after arriving from Spain and even Peter Schmeichel had some teething problems when he switched from Brondby in Denmark to United in 1991. Yet despite a lot of the negative press Onana has received, he has taken pretty well to the Premier League.

The United keeper has kept eight clean sheets this season and only Arsenal's David Raya (with nine) has kept more. Onana's record looks particularly impressive when you consider that United have faced 467 shots, with only bottom-placed Sheffield United conceding more.

But while the Blades have by far the worst defensive record in the English top flight, United have the joint-third best, letting in 39 goals. Only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City respectively have conceded fewer. 

From being the problem to being the solution

Onana has been shining for some time now while facing plenty of obstacles, not least an ever-changing cast of defenders. Ten Hag has had to use 24 different combinations in defence this season due to injuries, including playing without a natural left-back in numerous games due to the absences of Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw.

Lisandro Martinez's extended spells out have also affected the goalkeeper as he is one of the few defenders with the courage and ability to take the ball from the goalkeeper and play out from the back. As they showed against Everton, Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane are excellent defenders with their backs against the wall but struggle to progress the ball forward.

Given Onana was signed mostly due to his play-making abilities, that has been a significant handicap. However, he showed his aptitude for long kicks with his pass towards Bruno Fernandes against Manchester City which led to Marcus Rashford's goal. It was the second goal this season which Onana has contributed to.

Ten Hag will be hoping his goalkeeper can continue to underpin United's transition into a team that is more comfortable on the ball rather than just relying on counterattacks. But the important thing is that Onana is no longer offering United a trade-off for his skills with the ball; he is now excelling in a goalkeeper's primary duty of stopping the ball from going into the net.

And that's just as well, given how many shots United are now conceding. In less than four months he has gone from the cause of the team's woes to the solution. Ten Hag may have 99 more problems, but Onana ain't one.