Erik ten Hag told Man Utd outcast who never played a game is better than Andre Onana

Andre Onana has endured a tricky first season at Manchester United following his arrival from Inter Milan and the Red Devils have now been told that they had a better alternative already at the club

Andre Onana has endured a tricky first season with Man United (

Image: Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag has been told that former loanee Jack Butland should be Manchester United’s number one goalkeeper instead of Andre Onana.

The Cameroonian stopper arrived at Old Trafford in the summer in a £47m move from Inter Milan. And has endured a tricky debut season after making a series of high-profile errors.

Ex-Rangers star John Brown believes that Butland should instead have been retained instead of the Red Devils splashing the cash on Onana. Butland joined Man United on loan from Crystal Palace last January but never made an appearance.

“I was always a fan of Butland,” Brown said. “I was surprised he never got more minutes down south. When I look at the Premier League there are a lot of goalkeepers down there that I’d say Jack Butland is better than.

“He was at Manchester United and for me their first-choice goalkeeper… if I was going for a steady keeper then Jack Butland would be my choice. So the fact Rangers got him is fantastic for the club. The other thing is he’s coming into a club with 50,000 every home game.

“He’s playing in Europe, going for trophies, he’s got a trophy in the bag, he probably has another 10 years at the top because of the years he’s missed.”

Butland signed for Scottish giants Rangers in the summer after he left Crystal Palace at the end of his contract. The 30-year-old has since made 40 appearances for the club and has kept 20 clean sheets.

Jack Butland warms up for Man United (

Image:

Getty Images)

Has Andre Onana been a successful signing for Man United? Share your thoughts in the comments below

That is in huge contrast to his time at Old Trafford. Butland featured on the bench on 20 occasions for Man United including during the FA Cup final but he never made a senior appearance.

Speaking about his time as a Red Devil, Butland said: “As much as I enjoyed Palace and as good as United was, I missed playing. And that’s important to me All right, ‘Could you be at United?’

“Well, yes, but what would the rest of my career look like? That was important to me. I wanted 30 onwards to be something l look back on as a successful period and not one that drifted away.”

Butland has made nine appearances for the England national team during his career – his last cap coming in a 1-0 friendly win against Switzerland back in 2018. Following his departure from Man United, the Red Devils moved for two goalkeepers in the summer.

As well as Onana, they signed Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce. He recently made his long-awaited debut for the club in a 4-2 FA Cup fourth round victory against Newport County.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.