David de Gea will go down as one of Manchester United’s greatest-ever goalkeepers in their history – undoubtedly exceeding all the expectations placed on him after joining in the summer of 2011.
The Spaniard racked up 545 appearances for the Red Devils over a 12-year period, subsequently keeping 190 clean sheets – the most by any player in their history.
He also won five major trophies, including a Premier League title in his second year at the club, with Ruben Amorim wishing he was able to rely on such a talent in 2025.
Former boss Erik ten Hag decided in the summer of 2023 that the player was no longer part of his plans, subsequently releasing him at the end of his contract at Old Trafford.
Such a decision was an unpopular one with the fanbase, even more so a couple of years on, after the performances of the player who was brought into the club to replace him.
Andre Onana’s time at Manchester United
In the summer of 2023, United forked out a fee in the region of £47m to sign goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan, with the Cameroonian seen as the player to take the club up a level.
However, his spell in Manchester has been nothing short of a disaster, contributing to nine errors leading to goals – the most of any player in England’s top-flight since his arrival.
He’s not been used in any of the Red Devils’ Premier League outings so far this campaign, with his only outing coming in the Carabao Cup second round defeat to League Two side Grimsby Town.
The Cameroonian was arguably at fault for both of the Mariners’ goals, before being unable to prevent the hosts from claiming a shock victory in the penalty shootout.
Senne Lammens has been brought in to provide added competition between the sticks, but the hierarchy have already sanctioned the departure of their Onana upgrade.
The former United star who is an upgrade on Onana
Alongside Onana, Altay Bayindir is also another option on the books for United, subsequently filling the void left by the Cameroonian since the start of the new campaign.
The Turkish shot-stopper has made three league appearances to date, conceding four times, only achieving a 55% save percentage, leading to their recent addition of Lammens.
However, despite the three options currently at Amorim’s disposal, he certainly would’ve benefitted had the hierarchy kept hold of Dean Henderson a couple of years ago.
After climbing through the ranks at Old Trafford, the ‘keeper was sent on various loan spells – with his latest being at Nottingham Forest during the 2022/23 campaign.
Whilst he kept six clean sheets at the City Ground, it wasn’t enough to catapult himself into the first-team setup – subsequently joining Crystal Palace in a £20m transfer in the summer of 2023.
Such a transfer has come back to bite the Red Devils, with the Englishman taking his career to the next level at Selhurst Park with regular game time in the last few seasons.
When comparing his stats to those of Onana from last season, he massively outperformed the United flop in key areas – not to mention winning double the amount of trophies too.
Games played
38
24
Saves made
2.7
2.5
Clean sheet percentage
29%
26%
Save percentage
70%
66%
Short pass accuracy
99%
98%
Errors leading to goals
0
6
Defensive actions (outside box)
1.1
0.6
Trophies won
2
0
Henderson, who’s been described as “incredible” by one analyst, made more saves per 90, whilst also producing a better clean sheet percentage rate – subsequently offering a more consistent option between the sticks.
His dominance is further reflected in his higher pass completion rate, whilst also registering fewer errors leading to goals – numbers which could provide a more reliable option for the Red Devils.
To rub salt into the wounds, his price has soared since his departure, with FootballTransfers now valuing the former academy graduate at £25m – a figure higher than the one they sold him for two years ago.
Given his form away from Old Trafford in recent times, it’s safe to say the club made a mistake in allowing the shot-stopper to depart the club – with their loss now Palace’s gain.
The Red Devils have spent a whole heap of cash trying to replace De Gea in recent years, but it’s evident that they would’ve been better off keeping hold of Henderson.