Van der Sar warns Man Utd they’re selling ‘tremendous’ player: ‘I thought it was a match made in heaven’

Edwin van der Sar thought Andre Onana and Man Utd would be a “match made in heaven” with the Red Devils legend insisting the goalkeeper has “tremendous qualities”.

After helping Inter Milan to the Champions League final in the previous season, there were high expectations of Onana when he arrived at Man Utd in a deal worth £47m in 2023.

However, Onana failed to impress in two seasons at Old Trafford with the 29-year-old goalkeeper making a number of high-profile errors under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.

That saw Man Utd allow Onana to leave Old Trafford on loan in the summer transfer window with the Cameroon international joining Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor.

There is understood to be an option in that deal for Trabzonspor to make the transfer permanent in the summer with Man Utd not looking at bringing him back.

And Van der Sar, who knows Onana from his time at Ajax, has been surprised that things have not worked out for the Cameroonian at Man Utd after witnessing his talent up close.

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Van der Sar told Sky Bet: “I worked with Andre Onana for three or four years at Ajax. He came in as a third-choice goalkeeper and was very eager to step up and become the first choice.

“I thought, and I still think, that he has tremendous qualities – reflections and his feet – but somehow, he has the odd mistake in him that makes you think ‘That’s crazy, how can he do that.’

“A team wants stability, to know what your goalkeeper is doing so the back four can relate and I think that’s what happened [the issue] with Andre.

“Manchester United haven’t had stability for the last six or seven years – the back four changing, the centre-halves and midfielders changing, coaches changing – so, it’s difficult for new players to come into an environment where the expectations are high, not only for goalkeepers but also for a winger or midfielder.

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“A lot of players who have come here in the last eight or nine years have not reached the level that people expected them to reach.

“I absolutely thought that he would succeed when he first came here to United. As I said, I worked with him and saw him at Ajax, he did well in Italy and played in a Champions League final, so I thought it was a match made in heaven.”

Man Utd spent £18m to bring in Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp as his replacement and Van der Sar likes what he sees from the Belgian.

On Lammens, he Van der Sar added: “He’s doing well.

“Of course, it’s only been seven or eight months, but it certainly looks like he knows the physicality of the Premier League – I see him coming for balls in the penalty spot and he claims them with confidence, makes saves when needed, not looking to make saves when not necessary.

“I’m not here day-to-day and I don’t see all of the games, but he looks like he has a good package with him to be here [at Manchester United] for a long time.”