Jaap Stam has given new goalkeeper Andre Onana a glowing review, although warns fans that they will need to get used to his style of play.
The 27-year-old has arrived at Old Trafford from Inter Milan for an initial £43.8m, linking up with his former Ajax manager .
Stam also worked with the Cameroon international at Ajax, when he was in charge of the Under-23 side from 2014-16.
The former Red Devils defender knows Onana well and believes he will bring a great deal to Manchester United, although his bravery on the ball may take some getting used to.
‘Andre is very comfortable on the ball,’ Stam told the . ‘I worked with at , when I was taking the Under-23s, and when he was there, and came through at Ajax.
‘So he played a lot of games with myself in the Under-23s in the second league in Holland. And he’s a player who is, at first, he’s a very good person. He’s very calm and every down to earth. He likes to joke as well. So you can laugh with him as well.
‘But he’s a very, very honest person and a very good goalkeeper. His reflexes are immense, they are very good. He’s very quick, on the line as well and coming out.
‘He reads the game well and is good on the ball. He’s very comfortable, always. You know, he’s delaying, at times, as well, he’s trying to suck players in and then playing that decisive pass through the middle.
‘Probably, a lot of fans will think, okay, what’s he doing now? So you need to get used to that a little bit as well. But that is how the modern game is being played by goalkeepers who are very confident on the ball and find the right pass.
‘He’s very good with his left foot as well, so he can play with his right but also with his left. He’s not afraid to use that as well. So he’s an athlete in goal, which is very exciting to see.’
Speaking about his own style of play, Onana said: ‘I’m very comfortable playing from the back, but it depends.
‘I think the most important thing is to recognise the situation and that’s what I do myself, read the situation, especially what the team needs in certain moments.
‘When we play, depending on who we play, sometimes you have the possession and sometimes not, so from there you have to be smart and try to help the team, because most of the time playing with these players is amazing.
‘I had my first training session with them and it’s just amazing the quality here, it’s great.’
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