He has a better shot save percentage than Onana – 72 compared to 65 – and has yet to make any big errors directly leading to goals, compared to three for Onana.
In mitigation, De Gea has faced fewer shots (90 to 111) and Onana has also had to contend with a switch in formation from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 under a new manager in Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese boss is also yet to name an unchanged starting XI in any of the 23 matches he has taken charge of and has had a habit of substituting one of his three central defenders after about an hour.
That can hardly help build relationships and understanding at the back and nor can Onana be blamed for some of the static defending in front of him.
It should also be noted Onana has at times made crucial saves this season.
What’s more, Fiorentina are in better form than United, challenging for a Champions League spot in Italy while United are a lowly 14th in the Premier League.
However, a perhaps surprising statistic against Onana centres around passing accuracy, given he was brought in as the calatyst towards a possession-based style of play.
De Gea was not noted for his dexterity with his feet but trails Onana by just 1%, although he has made significantly fewer passes. His pass completion statistics in his final season at United (73%) were also higher than Onana’s this year.
Former United goalkeeper Massimo Taibi, whose famous howler against Southampton in 1999 hastened his own departure from Old Trafford, believes Onana could be on borrowed time.
“I think subconsciously the United environment isn’t ideal for him and when a marriage is showing cracks, it’s pointless to continue,” he told the Sun in December.
“I’d be straight to the point and tell him, ‘Andre, you are one of the best keepers in Europe but in the Premier League, you are under-performing. Block out criticism, do some soul-searching, press the reset and go again. And if things don’t change by June, move on’.”
Onana will perhaps be wondering if his latest error will lead to his exit from Old Trafford after just two seasons in Manchester.
