Yesterday’s sudden public dispute between Man United custodian Andre Onana and former Red Devils’ midfielder Nemanja Matic has raised much dust, but also one crucial question: Is the Cameroonian indeed the worst Man United goalkeeper in the club’s (recent) history?The Serb claimed so, responding to Onana’s statement that the Premier League side is way better than Matic’s current club, Lyon, against which the Red Devils will play in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals tonight (22.00).Onana one of the worst keepers in Man Utd history, claims ex-United star MaticAnd even though Ruben Amorim called Onana’s assertion “trying to give confidence and to show confidence in his team” and tried to calm things down, saying that Matic is a great guy and everything was a misunderstanding, the question still stands.Well, is Onana the worst?First of all, that’s extremely difficult to determine, as United have had some phenomenal goalies in the past 30 years – from Peter Schmeichel and Fabien Barthez to Edwin van der Sar and David de Gea. And when a custodian joins the team with such a goalkeeping heritage, he’s under enormous pressure and must find it hard to fill the legends’ shoes. Additionally, when he’s paid €50 million, it gets double as hard.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Truth be told, last season was United’s worst defensively, as they had never conceded more goals in a Premier League season (58). At the same time, it was the only season in the history of the EPL in which the Manchester giants had a negative goal difference (-1).However, that negative record of 58 goals conceded will probably remain intact, while Onana already has nine clean sheets after 31 rounds – the number he had at the end of the previous season. All this means he’s making progress.Onana with United’s defenders: De Ligt and Maguire (and Lindelof in the background) (©Carl Recine/Getty Images)The defence’s role in all this cannot be neglected either. Last season, all the vital defenders – from Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane to Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez – were in poor form. Diogo Dalot and Jonny Evans were far from the necessary level, while Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia were mostly injured.Only the arrivals of Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Leny Yoro somewhat stabilized the situation in United’s defensive line. Things are expected to improve under Amorim, but the Portuguese will need time.7.5 – Since the start of 2023-24, only Jordan Pickford (8.7) has prevented more goals based on Opta’s expected goals model in the Premier League than Manchester United’s André Onana (7.5). Contrary. pic.twitter.com/lF7Pmsdy0z— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 9, 2025 And if you still blame it all on Onana, just consider one thing. Since the beginning of the previous season, only Jordan Pickford (8.7) has prevented more “expected goals” than the Cameroonian (7.5).That speaks volumes and proves that it cannot be solely his fault. Yes, he made blunders but also pulled off some amazing saves. Were there better keepers at Old Trafford? Absolutely. Were there worse? Undoubtedly.Where does Onana rank? It’s too soon to say. Time will tell.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – QUARTER-FINALSFirst legThursday19:45: (3.30) Bodo (3.40) Lazio (2.20)22:00: (2.60) Olympique Lyon (3.35) Man.Utd. (2.70)22:00: (3.30) Rangers (3.40) Ath.Bilbao (2.20)22:00: (1.80) Tottenham (3.80) Eintr.Frankfurt (4.30)***odds are subject to change***
