Legendary Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel recently spoke highly of his team's rising star Onana's progress this season. He believes that Onana has become increasingly comfortable in front of the United goal, bringing more confidence and tactical flexibility to the team.
Schmeichel noted that Onana's progress is closely related to the change in goaltending coach. The current goalie coach, Tengruvillar, is someone Onana is familiar with, and they may have focused more on playing to Onana's strengths and style of play, which has yielded significant results. Although the team is still giving up goals, Onana's play has improved significantly and he is no longer the weak link in the defensive end of the team.
Schmeichel also emphasized the versatility of the goalkeeping role. He believes that goalkeeping is not just as simple as making saves, but more importantly being able to support the team when they are in possession of the ball and pressing on, and being a good back-up to the team's defense. Onana has made significant progress in this area as well, earning the trust of his teammates by minimizing his in-game mistakes. These mistakes had brought him a lot of criticism last season, but now he has gradually overcome them.
Schmeichel said that Onana's progress has opened up more tactical options for United. The team can feel more comfortable committing more men forward into the attack, as Onana is able to steadily clean up the mess at the back. While United still has a lot of room for improvement, Onana's poise and confidence as a goalkeeper is certainly a positive sign. His growth and improvement will open up more possibilities for United's future.
