Andre Onana, Massimo Taibi and Man Utd’s most disappointing goalkeepers – ranked

Andre Onana was supposed to be the solution to one of Manchester United’s long-running issues. But somehow the £47-million ($57m) signing has turned into one of the club’s biggest problems.

The former Inter goalkeeper, who was so impressive in the Champions League final against Manchester City, has shipped 19 goals in his first 10 appearances for the Red Devils, and there are already loud calls for him to be dropped from the starting XI.

Onana is shaping up to be United’s most disappointing signing of the summer – and that’s despite competition from Mason Mount. However, he is just the latest in a long line of United keepers who came with huge expectations, only to cave in amid all the pressure that comes with being the Red Devils’ No.1.

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  8Ben Foster

  Foster was a long-term project of Sir Alex Ferguson’s that ultimately did not work out. He was by no means a disaster compared to the other goalkeepers on this list, but he had the chance to become the club’s first English No.1 in the Premier League era and could not take it.

  Foster was back-up to Edwin van der Sar for two seasons and his highlight was winning the 2009 League Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Tottenham. An injury to the Dutch veteran at the start of the following campaign gave Foster a golden opportunity to prove he should be United’s first-choice. However, costly errors against Arsenal, Manchester City, and Sunderland saw him removed from the starting XI as soon as Van der Sar returned to full fitness and by the end of the season he was gone.

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  7Mark Bosnich

  The Australian can claim to be the only player that Ferguson signed twice. He made two appearances for United in the pre-Premier League era before returning Down Under when his visa expired. After developing into one of the division’s top goalkeepers with Aston Villa, Bosnich returned to United in 1999 following Schmeichel’s departure.

  Replacing the Great Dane was a daunting task for anyone, but Bosnich did not help his cause, according to Ferguson, who described him as “a terrible professional”. Among his misdemeanours were turning up to training three hours late and overeating. After one match at Wimbledon, Ferguson claimed the goalkeeper ate everything on the menu before ordering a Chinese takeaway when he got home.

  Still, Bosnich made the most appearances of United’s three goalkeepers in that first post-Schmeichel season as the Red Devils romped to the Premier League title and won the Intercontinental Cup. He played no part in his second season, though, and left for Chelsea in January 2001. A year later he tested positive for cocaine.

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  6Tim Howard

  The American goalkeeper was unknown in England when he signed for United in 2003, and to tell the truth he never quite dealt with the pressure. There were some acrobatic saves in his first few months, but Howard’s impressive start unravelled in the Champions League last-16 clash with Jose Mourinho’s Porto. Howard spilled a late free-kick into the path of Costinha, who scored to send United out and spark the young Portuguese upstart coach’s unforgettable knee slide celebration across the Old Trafford turf.

  Howard’s confidence never recovered and so began a battle for the No.1 spot between him and Roy Carroll over the next 14 months. Neither goalkeeper could truly convince Ferguson they were up to the task, and the ultimate winner was Van der Sar, who signed from Fulham in 2005 and remained first-choice until he retired six years later.

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  5Roy Carroll

  The Northern Ireland ‘keeper began life at United as Fabien Barthez’s understudy and eventually graduated to No.1 in the 2004-05 campaign after finally winning the battle with Howard.

  He was an ultimately unremarkable goalkeeper, though, and like his American rival for the jersey, cracked under pressure, above all in the Champions League last-16 defeat to AC Milan. He also couldn’t save a single penalty in the shootout defeat to Arsenal in the 2005 FA Cup final.

  Carroll’s most high-profile mistake for United did not lead to a goal, however. That was when he spilled Pedro Mendes’ looping shot from near halfway over his own line against Tottenham, but managed to scramble the ball away without the referee or his assistant noticing. The officials’ error could not save Carroll’s United career, however, and he was released in May 2005.

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  4Andre Onana

  The Cameroonian was bought to fix the Red Devils’ inability to play out from the back and help them make the transition to being a side truly comfortable in possession, able to launch a goal threat from their own box. However, Onana’s suspect kicking and passing has given fans no shortage of heart-in-mouth moments, and has even threatened United’s chances of qualifying from the Champions League.

  Worst of all, he keeps on letting in easily save-able shots, attempts that his predecessor David de Gea – who was unceremoniously shown the door last summer – used to turn away with minimum fuss. Take Mathias Jensen’s low shot in the dramatic victory over Brentford, which was just one of many unremarkable efforts that have wormed their way into United’s net this season.

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  3Fabien Barthez

  A World Cup winner and European champion with France, it was thought that Barthez had the necessary self-confidence to succeed Schmeichel. It turned out he was a bit too confident. His three-year spell with United is best remembered for gifting Thierry Henry two goals in a 3-1 defeat by Arsenal, just a month after making two calamitous errors in a loss to Deportivo La Coruna.

  The Frenchman was as mad as a tree, once kicking Leeds’ Ian Harte in the face and conceding a penalty, only to somehow remain on the pitch and save it. He also infamously tried to psyche out West Ham’s Paolo Di Canio by putting his hand up and telling his opponent he was offside, only for the Italian to score and knock United out of the FA Cup.

  Barthez helped United win back the title from Arsenal in his third campaign, but was weak in the epic Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, conceding three goals in each leg. He never played for the club again.

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  2Victor Valdes

  The Spaniard played his small part in Barcelona tormenting United in two Champions League finals, and yet three years after the 2011 triumph over the Red Devils at Wembley, he found himself at Old Trafford.

  United was not Valdes’ first- choice and he had agreed a deal with Monaco after deciding not to renew his contract with Barca. However, the Ligue 1 side backed out of the move after the goalkeeper sustained a serious knee injury.

  United, then managed by his former coach Louis van Gaal, allowed him to complete his rehabilitation with the club and offered Valdes a contract in January 2015. But it was far from a happy reunion with the volcanic Dutchman, who fielded him just twice and put him on his transfer list after the goalkeeper refused to turn out for the reserve team. Van Gaal explained: “He doesn’t follow my philosophy. There is no place for someone like that.”

  Valdes left United having played more times against them than for them.

  

  1Massimo Taibi

  United signed the experienced Italian in 1999 as an emergency back-up for Bosnich when he got injured, paying £4.5m ($5.4m) to get him in from Venezia. It was no small fee at the time, and they ended up paying more than £1m-per-appearance as Taibi turned out to be one of United’s worst-ever goalkeepers, conceding 11 goals in just four matches.

  His debut at Anfield got off to a nightmare start as he made a pig’s ear of a cross and gifted Sami Hyppia the opening goal. But two Jamie Carragher own goals bailed him out and he ended up being named Man of the Match.

  That was about as good as it got. United drew 1-1 at home to Wimbledon in his next game, and a week later in a 3-3 draw at home to Southampton he made one of the most infamous goalkeeping gaffes in Premier League history, letting the tamest of Matt Le Tissier shots roll through his legs and into the net.

  Taibi was dubbed ‘The Blind Venetian’ by The Sun, but the worst was still to come, a 5-0 defeat at Chelsea which proved to be his last game.

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