Erik ten Hag says Onana will have ‘important’ understanding with Man Utd star

Onana sealed his move to United from Inter Milan in a £47million deal on Thursday, signing a five-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.

He comes into replace David de Gea who left after 12 years at the club following the end of his contract in July.

The 27-year-old has built a reputation for being comfortable with the ball at his feet and equipped with impressive passing range, skills ten Hag believes to be instrumental in a modern goalkeeper.

But the United boss also insists his latest arrival has the traditional goalkeeping skills and personality to match to help his side take the next step.

‘Most important, always for a keeper, is clean sheets and he’s not doing that on his own,’ ten Hag said.

‘Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation. But also, the capabilities of the keeper is by keeping the goal clean, so this is the first criteria of a good goalkeeper.

‘But nowadays, football also demands good playing out from the back, out playing qualities and that is quality Andre has. So you need both and you need to cover both areas so we are happy of course.

‘I think with his physical presence and also with his personality. He is so keen on winning, he is so eager to win trophies, he will help the team and help the squad to get to higher levels.’

Onana played under ten Hag at Ajax prior to his move to Italy where he was also part of the same defensive unit as Martinez.

The Argentina international has been an instant hit since making his move from Amsterdam to Manchester last summer, with ten Hag believing the two can forge another key understanding at Old Trafford.

‘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.

‘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.’

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