- Spanish shot-stopper left as a free agent
- Cameroonian star snapped up
- Henderson heading towards the exits
WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils have made a big call in their goalkeeping department this summer, with a change being made in a crucial position after several years of continuity between the sticks. Long-serving De Gea – a four-time Player of the Year at Old Trafford – has been allowed to leave as a free agent. United have snapped up Cameroon international Onana in a £48 million ($62m) transfer, but Yorke believes that a loyal fan base will soon be longing to have their 2022-23 Premier League Golden Glove winner back.
WHAT THEY SAID: Former United striker Yorke – who formed part of their Treble-winning squad in 1999 – has told OLBG: “I've said before that Man United need to be careful what they wish for with losing David de Gea. For all the good De Gea has done for Man United, the way his career ended was really bad. I hope this doesn't come back to haunt Man United now they've bought Andre Onana. Be careful what you wish for. De Gea is the Golden Glove winner, a high-profile player who has made mistakes, like the rest of us. De Gea winning the Golden Glove is like winning the Golden Boot and being the top scorer at the club but still getting replaced by the football club. That does not resonate well with me.
“In my opinion, Onana is not as good as De Gea and people need to watch him very carefully. I've seen Onana before, the Premier League is a different kettle of fish with how fast the game is and how often you are pressured. Onana tries to be an outfield player rather than a goalkeeper sometimes. I will be watching this guy very closely, and the people who have criticised De Gea and wanted him to leave will probably be the ones who will be calling him to come back. I'm hoping that doesn't happen for Man United’s sake.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Yorke added on the approach that he would have taken to squad building this summer: “We should've let Andre Onana go to Chelsea and Man United should've kept David de Gea and promoted Dean Henderson instead. These managers are forgetting the young players, they have to give them a chance. If you're not giving someone who is supposedly England's next big thing in goal when he is waiting in the wings, when will he be promoted? If it was someone like Marcus Rashford and you kept him in the under-23s, how would you know that he would be as great as he is?
“If De Gea is the problem, then we should've promoted Henderson. He went and got valuable experience at Nottingham Forest, enough to make him a starter and De Gea would take a more rotated role. I won't sit here and say Onana is 100% better than De Gea. I think back to when I was a young player and trying to get in the team. If I went on loan to get experience and worked hard but still didn't get promoted, I would be frustrated. Onana will probably have to adapt to Manchester, the weather and more, when you could have given the young player, who has already adapted, a chance.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Henderson is heading towards the exits again at Old Trafford, as Nottingham Forest line up another loan deal with an obligation to buy, with veteran former England international Tom Heaton currently filling back-up duties for United.
