“Masterful” – Erik ten Hag’s comments from 2022 re-emerge as Man United expected to make bid

Erik ten Hag has previously hailed his former goalkeeper Andre Onana as “masterful”, amid reports that Manchester United are set to bid for the goalkeeper.

Onana, 27, worked with the current United manager for five years at Ajax between 2017 and 2022 before both player and manager left for Italy and England respectively.

Back in April 2022, shortly before Ten Hag’s next destination was announced, it was already known that Onana would be leaving Ajax at the end of his contract and he would eventually join Champions League runners-up Inter Milan.

Despite his impending exit from the club, Ten Hag was full of praise for the goalkeeper when speaking to Dutch broadcasters after a 2-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam, despite outside criticism for his performances at the time.

“Obviously he’s not yet back at his level from before the suspension,” he said, “but that can’t be expected from him.

“He has to work hard to get there again and I’m convinced that he’ll succeed. We’ve all seen that he is a masterful goalkeeper.”

The latest reports from Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla states that United are expected to make an offer to Inter for Onana in the next few days.

It was added that The Reds had confirmed their “strong interest” in the last hours but that Inter now are demanding a total package of €60 million – a base fee of €45-48 million would be considered fine by Inter for the shot-stopper, provided that the €12-15 million in add-ons can be easily achievable.

According to the Daily Mail, Ten Hag wants Onana to replace David de Gea, who is set to leave Old Trafford after 12 years when his contract runs out on Friday.

The Spaniard is yet to sign a contract extension and sent a cryptic message onto Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, simply tweeting a yawning emoji.

Reports from The Athletic this week stated that the goalkeeper had agreed terms with the club for a reduced contract, before United submitted a new proposal with even lower wages that De Gea is yet to agree to.