‘Be careful what you wish for’: Ex-Man United star fires warning at Red Devils amid Andre Onana transfer talks

Manchester United will see a permanent change in between the posts for the first time in over a decade, as long-time servant of the club David de Gea has moved on for a free transfer. Man United are reportedly in advanced talks to replace the Spanish keeper with Andre Onana, the Cameroonian goalkeeper who reached the Champions League final with Inter Milan last season.

While United fans are excited by the prospect of Onana linking up with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, De Gea left the club in acrimonious circumstances. The veteran keeper had reportedly agreed to stay on at United with his wages lowered, previously having been the club’s highest-paid player. However, Man United reportedly withdrew from the deal, leading many to argue that De Gea was mistreated towards the end of his contract at the club.

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A former United player who holds that perspective is striker Dwight Yorke. Speaking to BoyleSports, the Trinidadian warned that while Man United’s call to change keepers might work out, it would always be a risky decision. “The David de Gea situation is a bit disrespectful from Man United but they also have the right to do it. Man United have to be careful what they wish for. You don’t win the Golden Glove if you’re not a good goalkeeper,” said the striker, who won the 1999 treble for the Red Devils, leading the line alongside Andrew Cole in one of the Premier League’s greatest strike partnerships.

De Gea’s time at United comes to an end after recent seasons highlighted the holes that exist within his game, such as distribution with the ball at his feet and lack of presence in the box. Errors in big games, such as the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinal against Sevilla, also turned fans against the Spaniard.

Yorke accepted that De Gea left some things to be desired, but also pointed out that he still believed the 5-time United player of the year to be one of the premium goalkeepers in the world. Despite a lacklustre season, De Gea did commandeer a defence that had the most cleansheets in the Premier League by a distance.

“I know he’s made mistakes and some of them at crucial times, but who doesn’t do that? I don’t think the goalkeepers that Man United want are anywhere near as good as De Gea, so they need to be careful what they wish for.”

While Onana looks almost certain to join the Red Devils, they have a capable deputy in the form of shotstopper Dean Henderson, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest. While he is a talented keeper, Ten Hag is reportedly looking to cash in on the Englishman.

“Dean Henderson might be given a chance while De Gea is still there, but changing a keeper could come back to bite Man United. It’s a bigger risk to bring in any of the goalkeepers Man United are looking at than to stick with De Gea,” opined Yorke.

“Outside of Thibaut Courtois and a couple of others, there are no proper world-class goalkeepers and even they can make mistakes,” concluded the Trinidadian, who knows a thing or two about beating goalkeepers, scoring 123 Premier League goals across spells at United and Aston Villa, amongst others.

United play a friendly against Olympique Lyon on Wednesday, and are expected to split minutes between the experienced Tom Heaton and academy prospect Matej Kovar for the time being.