FORMER Manchester United star Tim Howard cannot believe Andre Onana’s recent confession.
The American played 77 times for the Red Devils during a stellar career between the sticks.
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And he admits that he was stunned by Onana‘s comments before United’s win over Fulham.
Cameroonian stopper Onana, who has a reputation for the odd howler, warned fans that he was going to “take a lot of risks” this term.
Howard told NBC Sports: “I’m rarely surprised at things in football.
“[But] I was utterly shocked to hear Onana say, ‘Be prepared I will take a lot more risks this season.’
“He conceded 58 goals, that number has to come down, he can ill-afford to make too many mistakes.
“Some of the goals that went past him were very, very saveable.
“The fact he’s willing to take more risks I guess is exciting and compelling, I wasn’t convinced last year, but right now he has a lot to prove.
“He has brilliant ability but he hasn’t put that into place and too many goals are going in that need to be saved.”
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Ivan Toney was left out of Brentford’s opening match of the 2024/25 Premier League season due to transfer interest from elsewhere.
Newcastle have reportedly made a fourth bid worth £65million for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Chelsea are in talks with Atletico Madrid regarding a permanent move for Joao Felix.
Should an agreement be reached, it could resurrect the sale of Conor Gallagher to the Spanish giants.
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Onana, 28, was asked about his confident approach to the game ahead of United’s season opener.
He said: “That’s me.
“And I think it’s what you’re gonna see this season because I will take a lot of risks.
“I can tell you in advance already! Be prepared because it’s gonna be this season, trust me!
“I will enjoy it even more when this season starts.”
Onana kept a clean sheet as United got underway with a 1-0 win over Fulham.
But he will face a challenge on Saturday in a trip to Brighton, who hammered Everton 3-0 in their opener.
By Lee Scott
One of Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag’s biggest headaches has been fixing their leaky defence.
Despite still not being anywhere near his peak years De Ligt has built considerable experience so far in his career with Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich and he has 45 caps at senior level for the Dutch national team.
While he is not necessarily a highly modern ball playing type of defensive player he is a player with the defensive strengths and instincts to help shore up a United defence that was, at best, leaky last season.
He has a great ability to read the game which was one of the biggest issues that we saw from the United defensive unit last season.
De Ligt is also a master in one-on-one situations, who shows strength and intensity in his duels.
The Dutch star does a good job in keeping things simple and tends to make good decisions in possession.
The pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt makes perfect sense for United and for Ten Hag as a young defender who is still to reach his peak.
He has considerable experience at a high level and he understands the game model and system of play of the manager.
Click here to read our full analysis on De Ligt joining Manchester United.
