Andre Onana shows true colours as three Man Utd players name-dropped

Andre Onana produced a mixed maiden season at Manchester United after inheriting the daunting task of replacing long-term No. 1 David de Gea. But the 28-year-old has displayed enough on the pitch and off it to offer hope that he boasts the minerals to be United’s goalkeeper for years to come.

Onana took some time to convince supporters he wasn’t one of the club’s latest big-money flops after his £47million switch from Inter Milan.

Some were fearing the worst after watching a series of costly mistakes in the first half of the campaign, some of which heavily contributed to United’s Champions League group-stage exit.

But Onana settled into his new environment as the season progressed, facing more than he bargained for after signing on for five years at Old Trafford.

United’s stark regression from Erik ten Hag’s first year in charge – involving an often-gaping midfield and many a makeshift defence – saw Onana face an unprecedented number of shots.

Still, only four goalkeepers kept more league clean sheets than the Cameroon international’s 10, and he made more saves than any of his counterparts (149).

Not only has Onana increasingly impressed in action, but he has received praise for his character and personality away from the goalline.

The United stopper has come across well in interviews and is also said to be a popular figure in the dressing room.

He recently indicated how he gets along with his teammates, claiming he uses his multilingual ability to speak to different people.

“I speak four languages, but I understand a fifth one, Dutch. It helps a lot. United is a wonderful club, it’s a very big club full of players who are coming from everywhere,” Onana told the club website.

“You have players who are coming from Brazil, from Portugal. You have players who are Spanish, you have players who are speaking French, you have players who are speaking English.

“So I have to be able to speak to all of them. When I play with Lisandro [Martinez], I speak in Spanish. When I play with Raphael Varane, I speak in French. When I speak with Jonny Evans, I speak in English.

“So I have to be able to speak with all of them in their comfortable language. It’s not easy because sometimes I struggle. Instead of speaking in English, I speak in Spanish maybe!

“But the fact I speak a lot of languages helps a lot for the communication, and this gives me a lot of confidence and for my defenders as well.”

It’s an impressive trait that should prove valuable for a goalkeeper and hints at why Ten Hag placed his faith in Onana to fill a crucial role in his plans.