Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that Andre Onana's ball-playing ability contributed heavily to the club deciding to sign him during this summer's transfer window.
The 27-year-old's arrival at Old Trafford was confirmed on Thursday evening, with the Red Devils securing his signature from Italian giants Inter Milan.
Onana is well-known to Ten Hag following their time together at Ajax, and the Cameroonian was seemingly quickly identified as the club's leading choice to fill the number one position at the club moving forward.
Ten Hag has detailed what the Cameroonian will bring to Man United and explained the importance of his football ability, which will allow the head coach to fully implement his playing style next term.
David de Gea won the Golden Glove in the Premier League last season, keeping 17 clean sheets in the competition, but his ability to play out from the back was questioned, while the Spaniard, who has now left on a free transfer, also made some high-profile mistakes.
© Reuters
"Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets and he's not doing that on his own," Ten Hag told MUTV. "Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, [it's] quite clear. But also the capabilities of a keeper is [about] keeping the goal clean. So this is the first criterion of a good goalkeeper.
"But, nowadays, football also demands good playing from the back, out-playing qualities, and that is a quality Andre has. You need both and you need to cover both areas. So yeah, we're happy, of course.
"I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He's so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels."
Ten Hag also addresses Onana's relationship with Lisandro Martinez, who made the move to Old Trafford from Ajax during last summer's transfer window.
© Reuters
"Did he have a good relationship with Martinez at Ajax? Yeah, of course. With the centre-half, it's very important, that communication. That is always very important. It's about the co-operation, the team. The keeper with his back four, the keeper with his whole team. It has to be connected," Ten Hag added.
"So you need the social and communication skills to get that on the highest level, on the level with the demand and the standards are very high in the Premier League and especially with Manchester United."
Onana has travelled to the United States to link up with his new teammates for their pre-season tour, and there is an outside chance that he could debut against Arsenal on Saturday night.
However, it seems more likely that the former Cameroon international will be named on the bench or left out of the squad with a view to making his first appearance against Real Madrid on July 26.
An academy side, which should also include Jonny Evans, will face League Two outfit Wrexham on July 25, while the USA tour will end with a clash against Borussia Dortmund on July 30.
