I want to be ‘number one in the world’ – and Manchester United might make a second transfer bid for me

In truth, André Onana’s time as first-choice goalkeeper for Manchester United was likely to come to a close even before Nemanja Matić stuck his nose in, or before his costly errors against Lyon in the Europa League. But embarrassment has now compounded a broader sense of dissatisfaction with the Cameroonian’s performances, and now Ruben Amorim and United must decide where to turn next.

A few options have been floated by the usual rumourmongers, but a new and intriguing name can now be added to the list – that of Parma’s Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who has been suggested as a target by Graeme Bailey and United In Focus.

The 22-year-old has been drawing rave reviews in Italy and may well be familiar to United fans – not only has he been scouted by the club before, but it was reported that he rejected a move to Old Trafford from Urawa Red Diamonds in favour of securing first-team minutes at Belgian side Sint-Truiden. But now a couple of years have passed and Suzuki has established himself, should they make another move?

Why Zion Suzuki is aiming to be ‘number one in the world’

When Suzuki started casting around for opportunities outside of Japan, United were among his suitors – already a full Japanese international at the age of just 19 and an AFC Champions League winner, he was promising to be one of the most exciting players to emerge from Asia in years.

Suzuki, however, foresaw a future sat on the bench at Old Trafford (probably quite accurately) and chose to move first to Belgium on loan and then, last summer, to Serie A. It has proven to be a wise decision for the sake of Suzuki’s career – the young shot stopper is now establishing himself as a regular in a top European league and impressing pundits with both his handling skills and his footwork.

Suzuki himself is a calmly ambitious character who hasn’t shied away from stepping up the career ladder, albeit at his own pace.

“For me, my ultimate goal is to become the best goalkeeper in the world,” he said in an interview with Serie A’s media team in January. “Being number one in the world is something I aim for, both as an individual and with my team, whether that be in the Champions League or the World Cup.”

Parma, of course, are not in the Champions League, and indeed are still very much involved in a relegation battle having only returned to the Italian top flight last season. In short, Suzuki had barely been at his new club six months before effectively admitting that he planned to move up to the top table before long.

So perhaps this time, United would appeal rather more, because if they did sign Suzuki, it would be as the first-choice and not a developmental prospect. But a better question might be whether moving on from Onana in favour of a much younger model such as Suzuki or James Trafford, another name that has been suggested, is really such a sterling idea…

Should Manchester United replace André Onana?

Arguably the bigger question, however, is whether it’s right to replace Onana altogether. Few fans have patience left with the goalkeeper after an alarmingly high number of errors between the posts, but that doesn’t mean that replacing him would necessarily be right.

For starters, United are about to embark on what amounts to yet another rebuild in order to get the squad up to spec for Amorim’s system, but it will require a number of deals to be done – no doubt at great expense – at a time in which the club’s financial position has come under scrutiny amid concerns over their capacity to meet the Premier League’s profit and sustainability requirements.

As a result, there has already been persistent talk of United selling young players such as Alejandro Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo in order to balance the books – pretty drastic action already. In short, they may not have the money to make every tweak to the playing squad that they need, and it’s arguable that dealing with Onana isn’t the main priority.

While Onana’s mistakes have stuck in both the mind and the craw, his performances as a whole, from a strictly statistical perspective, have been… adequate. Average. Mid-table. He has the 12th best save percentage in the league (68.5%), and he’s kept out 1.8 goals more than might have been expected compared to the xG of the shots he’s faced, which is the 11th best mark in the division.

Not outstanding, by any stretch, and a step back from last season, when he had the best save percentage (74.9%) in the entire top flight. Yes, after a distinctly shaky start which perhaps put United fans more on edge than they needed to be at the time, Onana actually ended the season as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, according to the data.

Suzuki, meanwhile, may be building a burgeoning reputation but his numbers aren’t all that different from Onana’s. He has a lower save percentage (67.7%) with Parma this season and has actually conceded fractionally more goals than his xG faced would have suggested he ‘should’ on average.

Because Suzuki is young and breaking through, he could be seen as a more exciting option, and perhaps he will indeed develop into a world-class goalkeeper – but for now the numbers indicate that Onana, who has perhaps not lived up to his reputation as an elite player since moving to Old Trafford, is a safer bet, despite the high-profile errors and the wailing and gnashing of teeth that has followed.

None of which is to suggest that United shouldn’t expect better than a goalkeeper who has merely been ‘average’ over the course of a season, but league average is a much kinder description than any that can be accurately applied to many members of their current squad.

It’s plainly possible to improve upon Onana, but he isn’t the problem. After all, when they dropped him at the weekend in favour of Altay Bayindir, they still shipped four goals to Newcastle. This is a bad team with many bigger problems than the goalkeeper – and replacing him with a younger model who still has plenty to learn seems like a good way to spend money on prolonging the cycle of frustration.