David de Gea is outperforming Andre Onana in almost every respect, which begs the question: were Manchester United right to replace him?
The Spaniard left Old Trafford after 12 years in the summer of 2023 after failing to agree terms on a new contract.
He was replaced by Andre Onana, who had just reached the Champions League final with Inter Milan and played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.
Onana was arguably one of United's better players this season, but a series of high-profile blunders during his 18-month stay, including one that led to a goal against Brighton on Sunday, left him in doubt. It doesn't help that United are in thirteenth place.
The Cameroonian has already made four mistakes that have led to goals this season, while De Gea has made none at Fiorentina, who he joined this summer.
In 29 appearances, Onana scored 41 goals, while De Gea conceded 22 in 19 appearances. Both kept seven clean sheets, but Onana did so in a further ten games.
It is not unusual for top goalkeepers to stay at the biggest clubs until their late 30s. At 38, Manuel Neuer is still Bayern Munich's favorite player. Gianluigi Buffon stayed at Juventus until he was 43.
At 34, De Gea still has a lot to give. He won the Premier League Golden Glove in his final season at Old Trafford. Fiorentina benefits from his presence and is sixth in Serie A.
According to Opta, De Gea saves an average of 72.5 percent of shots on target, a total that puts him among the top players in the Premier League.
In contrast, Onana's record of 63.7 percent ranks among the lowest of all Premier League goalkeepers this season.
Diving deeper, De Gea makes three saves per 90 minutes, while Onana only manages 2.5. The Spaniard also makes more saves from shots inside the penalty area and from greater distances.
He took the number one spot with La Viola, resulting in a series of memorable moments.
Against Como in November he made a spectacular triple save to help his side to victory.
With 61 minutes left on the clock and his side 1-0 up after a first-half goal from Yacine Adli, De Gea first got low and made a brilliant stop from Edoardo Goldaniga, who tapped a lovely floating cross into the penalty area. .
The ball then fell perfectly to defender Federico Barba in acres of space, but the ex-United keeper showed brilliant reactions to thwart it before managing to clear a third effort on the line.
Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino was stunned by De Gea's remarkable saves, suggesting he still looks as old as he was when he left Atletico Madrid for the Red Devils in 2011.
'We are Beltran who chases opponents and runs like a defender. We are Riccardo Sottil standing up and making a difference. We are De Gea, who makes saves like he is 20,” Palladino told DAZN.
De Gea has also saved two of the three penalties he has conceded, while Onana has only saved one of four – still a decent effort.
Part of the reason United brought in Onana was for better distribution, but his was only marginally better than De Gea's. Onana has accurately hit 72.89 percent of his passes, while De Gea is on 70.9 percent.
And the Spaniard's long-range passing was much better. A total of 47.18 percent of his long balls find his man, compared to Onana's 32.46.
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