Andre Onana has spoken of the “great impact” former Manchester United goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, has had on his career.
Speaking to the club’s in-house social media team, Onana revealed how he would always “be thankful” to Van der Sar for his advice and guidance during the pair’s shared time at Ajax.
Onana was the goalkeeper in Amsterdam during the same period Van der Sar was the club’s Chief Executive (2015-2022), before the former’s switch to Milan last summer, and then Manchester this year.
The Cameroonian international stated:
“[Van der Sar] had a great impact. I was with him in Ajax back in the days. We had a great, great time. We were training sometimes together and he advised me a lot. He was happy when I joined Manchester United.”
“He advised me a lot during the game, after the game, especially if I was making mistakes! He was coming through all the way to the dressing room or to the training session to speak with me and he helped me to build that personality, you know?”
Onana possesses the quintessential skillset of a ‘modern’ goalkeeper; a shotstopper who is as comfortable with the ball at his feet, as in his hands, while being proactive and capable of dominating their box.
When Van der Sar was in his prime, approaching two decades ago, the demands on a goalkeeper were radically different to the ones placed on them today.
Onana contends:
“To be honest, now football is so different. You know, I think the position has changed in the last 20 years. Now the goalkeeper is like [having] another player more, you know? And when you look at the way most of the teams want to play, now they use the goalkeeper as a plus one. “
I consider myself as a modern goalkeeper, so I’m not afraid to make mistakes. I’m not afraid to take risks and I would take risks because the way I play is what brought me to Manchester United, one of the best clubs in the world, and I will not drop. I will never drop. I will only go forward. I can make mistakes and mistakes are a part of life.”
This confidence will be vital to Onana establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the league and trying to emulate the level of performance his tutor, Van der Sar, was able to reach in a United shirt.