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Was Nemanja Matic right about Andre Onana being 'one of the worst' goalkeepers in Man Utd history? Ranking the Red Devils' most disappointing shot-stoppers after No.1's Europa League nightmare against Lyon

Andre Onana put huge pressure on himself before Manchester United's Europa League clash with Lyon and when the game began, he caved in to it. Onana had become one of the main characters ahead of the quarter-final first leg by first declaring that the Red Devils were "way better" than the Ligue 1 outfit a few days earlier.

Nemanja Matic responded to his comments in the most brutal manner by labelling him "one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United's history" but Onana did not need to rise to it. He could have let his performance do the talking. Instead he came back with a spiky response about winning trophies and was ridiculed for it. After all, Matic had won two Premier League titles with Chelsea.

But the most ridiculous thing was Onana's performance at the Groupama Stadium. He feebly let Thiago Almada's free-kick, which was intended as a cross, slip past him. Paul Scholes rightly labelled it "a terrible goalkeeping error" and everyone on social media was saying the same thing: Matic was right.

It was the eighth error leading to a goal made by the Cameroonian in all competitions, more than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League since he joined United in 2023. But United responded well to the setback and looked to be on their way to a crucial victory thanks to headers from Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee. Lyon came back at them in the last minute though and Onana let United down again, pushing a central shot from Georges Mikautadze straight back into the danger zone and at the feet of the last person you would want it to fall to: Lyon talisman Rayan Cherki.

Now United must beat Lyon at Old Trafford next week to reach the Europa League semi-finals and keep their nightmare season alive, when a draw would have been enough had they been able to cling on. But the errors are likely to have bigger ramifications for United and Onana. How can the club continue with a goalkeeper who is so unreliable, who rival players are openly laughing about?

So after one of the lowest points of his already dismal United career, GOAL asks whether Matic is right and if Onana is indeed the worst goalkeeper United have had in the Premier League era....

  • ben foster man utd 2009Getty

    8Ben Foster

    Foster was a long-term project of Sir Alex Ferguson's that ultimately did not work out. He was by no means a disaster compared to the other goalkeepers on this list, but he had the chance to become the club's first English No.1 in the Premier League era and could not take it.

    Foster was back-up to Edwin van der Sar for two seasons and his highlight was winning the 2009 League Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Tottenham. An injury to the Dutch veteran at the start of the following campaign gave Foster a golden opportunity to prove he should be United's first-choice. However, costly errors against Arsenal, Manchester City, and Sunderland saw him removed from the starting XI as soon as Van der Sar returned to full fitness and by the end of the season he was gone.

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  • Mark Bosnich Manchester UnitedGetty

    7Mark Bosnich

    The Australian can claim to be the only player that Ferguson signed twice. He made two appearances for United in the pre-Premier League era before returning Down Under when his visa expired. After developing into one of the division's top goalkeepers with Aston Villa, Bosnich returned to United in 1999 following Schmeichel's departure.

    Replacing the Great Dane was a daunting task for anyone, but Bosnich did not help his cause, according to Ferguson, who described him as "a terrible professional". Among his misdemeanours were turning up to training three hours late and overeating. After one match at Wimbledon, Ferguson claimed the goalkeeper ate everything on the menu before ordering a Chinese takeaway when he got home.

    Still, Bosnich made the most appearances of United's three goalkeepers in that first post-Schmeichel season as the Red Devils romped to the Premier League title and won the Intercontinental Cup. He played no part in his second season, though, and left for Chelsea in January 2001. A year later he tested positive for cocaine.

  • Tim Howard Man Utd 2023-24Getty

    6Tim Howard

    The American goalkeeper was unknown in England when he signed for United in 2003, and to tell the truth he never quite dealt with the pressure. There were some acrobatic saves in his first few months, but Howard's impressive start unravelled in the Champions League last-16 clash with Jose Mourinho's Porto. Howard spilled a late free-kick into the path of Costinha, who scored to send United out and spark the young Portuguese upstart coach's unforgettable knee slide celebration across the Old Trafford turf.

    Howard's confidence never recovered and so began a battle for the No.1 spot between him and Roy Carroll over the next 14 months. Neither goalkeeper could truly convince Ferguson they were up to the task, and the ultimate winner was Van der Sar, who signed from Fulham in 2005 and remained first-choice until he retired six years later.

  • Roy Carroll Manchester UnitedGetty

    5Roy Carroll

    The Northern Ireland 'keeper began life at United as Fabien Barthez's understudy and eventually graduated to No.1 in the 2004-05 campaign after finally winning the battle with Howard.

    He was an ultimately unremarkable goalkeeper, though, and like his American rival for the jersey, cracked under pressure, above all in the Champions League last-16 defeat to AC Milan. He also couldn't save a single penalty in the shootout defeat to Arsenal in the 2005 FA Cup final.

    Carroll's most high-profile mistake for United did not lead to a goal, however. That was when he spilled Pedro Mendes' looping shot from near halfway over his own line against Tottenham, but managed to scramble the ball away without the referee or his assistant noticing. The officials' error could not save Carroll's United career, however, and he was released in May 2005.

  • Fabian Barthez 2003Getty

    4Fabien Barthez

    A World Cup winner and European champion with France, it was thought that Barthez had the necessary self-confidence to succeed Schmeichel. It turned out he was a bit too confident. His three-year spell with United is best remembered for gifting Thierry Henry two goals in a 3-1 defeat by Arsenal, just a month after making two calamitous errors in a loss to Deportivo La Coruna.

    The Frenchman was as mad as a tree, once kicking Leeds' Ian Harte in the face and conceding a penalty, only to somehow remain on the pitch and save it. He also infamously tried to psyche out West Ham's Paolo Di Canio by putting his hand up and telling his opponent he was offside, only for the Italian to score and knock United out of the FA Cup.

    Barthez helped United win back the title from Arsenal in his third campaign, but was weak in the epic Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, conceding three goals in each leg. He never played for the club again.

  • Victor Valdes Man UtdGetty

    3Victor Valdes

    The Spaniard played his small part in Barcelona tormenting United in two Champions League finals, and yet three years after the 2011 triumph over the Red Devils at Wembley, he found himself at Old Trafford.

    United was not Valdes' first- choice and he had agreed a deal with Monaco after deciding not to renew his contract with Barca. However, the Ligue 1 side backed out of the move after the goalkeeper sustained a serious knee injury.

    United, then managed by his former coach Louis van Gaal, allowed him to complete his rehabilitation with the club and offered Valdes a contract in January 2015. But it was far from a happy reunion with the volcanic Dutchman, who fielded him just twice and put him on his transfer list after the goalkeeper refused to turn out for the reserve team. Van Gaal explained: "He doesn't follow my philosophy. There is no place for someone like that."

    Valdes left United having played more times against them than for them.

  • Massimo Taibi Manchester UnitedGetty

    2Massimo Taibi

    United signed the experienced Italian in 1999 as an emergency back-up for Bosnich when he got injured, paying £4.5m ($5.4m) to get him in from Venezia. It was no small fee at the time, and they ended up paying more than £1m-per-appearance as Taibi turned out to be one of United's worst-ever goalkeepers, conceding 11 goals in just four matches.

    His debut at Anfield got off to a nightmare start as he made a pig's ear of a cross and gifted Sami Hyppia the opening goal. But two Jamie Carragher own goals bailed him out and he ended up being named Man of the Match.

    That was about as good as it got. United drew 1-1 at home to Wimbledon in his next game, and a week later in a 3-3 draw at home to Southampton he made one of the most infamous goalkeeping gaffes in Premier League history, letting the tamest of Matt Le Tissier shots roll through his legs and into the net.

    Taibi was dubbed 'The Blind Venetian' by The Sun, but the worst was still to come, a 5-0 defeat at Chelsea which proved to be his last game.

  • Andre Onana Man Utd 2023-24Getty

    1Andre Onana

    The Cameroonian was bought to fix the Red Devils' inability to play out from the back and help them make the transition to being a side truly comfortable in possession, able to launch a goal threat from their own box. Onana's kicking, however, has proven to be completely average, giving United no demonstrable benefits going forward. But his inability to keep the most basic shots out is his biggest flaw.

    The writing was on the wall when he was lobbed from the halfway line by Lens' Florian Sotoca in his first appearance at Old Trafford and he made a number of significant errors as United crashed out of the Champions League. He was the biggest culprit of the Red Devils finishing bottom of a group containing Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, making errors against all of them.

    He staged a brief recovery and performed well as United won the FA Cup, while he made two incredible saves against Fenerbahce this season. But the bad has outweighed the good and by a long way. He is far and away the most disappointing goalkeeper United have had. He cost £47m ($61m) and had a huge reputation after helping Inter reach the Champions League final. And worst of all, his arrival meant United showed a huge lack if disrespect towards David de Gea by withdrawing a contract offer to their longest-serving goalkeeper.

    To make matters worse, De Gea is having a brilliant season with Fiorentina after taking a year out of the game and at the very same time that United fans were tearing the hair out watching Onana's bungling display in Lyon, the Spaniard was making heroic saves for his club against Celje in the Europa Conference League.