“Makes him insecure…” – Jaap Stam identifies interesting reason why “useless” Man Utd star is failing under Ruben Amorim

Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam believes there is one particular reason for André Onana’s struggles under Ruben Amorim.

Manchester United signed André Onana from Inter in the summer of 2023 following David de Gea’s departure from the club.

Erik ten Hag, who previously worked with Onana at Ajax, was eager to reunite with the goalkeeper at Old Trafford.

Onana’s debut season at the club was mixed. While he was generally reliable in the Premier League, some argue that his errors were a key factor in United’s Champions League exit.

Although the 28-year-old appeared to improve towards the end of last season and the beginning of this one, familiar mistakes have resurfaced. Issues such as failing to parry shots away from danger continue to be a concern.

The goalkeepers’ form has led to him being described as “useless” and reports have suggested that he may be someone United are looking to replace.

Stam identifies Onana problem under Amorim

Ex-United defender Jaap Stam has offered his assessment on Onana, who he believes to be a “very good” goalkeeper.

One of the main issues the Dutchman has identified is Onana’s role in possession. When United signed him, the Cameroon international was viewed as one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in world football.

Now, Stam believes that Onana’s role in Ruben Amorim’s team is to often play long passes rather than work the ball short and find solutions in buildup that way.

Since he is no longer as involved in the general buildup play, Stam believes that this makes Onana “insecure” and has impacted his performances.

“Ten Hag wanted him to be confident on the ball to keep that ball, to distribute it, to dribble forward, out of the box at times as well and then give that pass,” Stam explained when speaking to casinobeats.com

“Now it seems like he needs to kick it long a lot quicker. He’s not as much involved in the buildup play like he was before, maybe that makes him more insecure as well.

“As a goalkeeper, it’s very important if you have that ball on your feet, that the defenders are set up in a way, that you can always play that ball into them, and the mid two players as well. 

“So yeah, that makes him not confident at all at that time. But I still think that Andre is a very good goalkeeper.

“I still think he’s got great reactions and everything, he still maybe needs to learn or needs to make other decisions at times as well. But that’s the same for every goalkeeper at this level.”

United hierarchy’s opinions on Onana

It does seem like almost no player at Old Trafford is safe from the exit door when the summer transfer window opens.

However, the executives at the club do recognise that assessing player form this year is challenging since the entire team has been largely underperforming.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that United’s decision-makers are not currently scrutinising Onana for his perceived poor performances.

Instead, it is likely that a full assessment of the squad is made for the summer window, where priority positions will then be targeted.

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Onana’s fortunes may come in the fact that United have more important positions to address and improve than the goalkeeper, which could give him more time to prove himself.

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