After completing a £47 million deal from Champions League finalists Inter to Old Trafford, the Cameroonian shot-stopper has become the world’s third-most expensive goalkeeper.
He will not wear the regular No.1 shirt for United, which has been abandoned since David de Gea’s departure, instead electing to continue with the No.24 – which he has previously worn for Ajax and Inter.
Onana’s shirt design is a nod to his birth date – 2/4, the second of April – and he hopes it will bring him good luck in Manchester.
When asked about his jersey number, the 27-year-old told MUTV, ‘I just like that number and it’s my birthday, my date of birth.
‘So it’s excellent for me, and I enjoy this shirt. We’ve accomplished a lot with this number, and I hope it continues.’
Onana’s move to Old Trafford reunites him with Ten Hag and three former Ajax teammates – Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Donny van de Beek – and he feels it was a key factor in his decision.
When asked how much of an influence Ten Hag has had on him, Onana replied, ‘Yeah, a pretty large influence, to be honest.
‘We’ve done a lot of wonderful things together, like reaching the Champions League semi-finals with Ajax. It wasn’t easy accomplishing this with a smaller team like Ajax. It’s something that only happens every 20 or 25 years.
‘We have a wonderful relationship, he’s a top coach, for me one of the finest in the world.
‘It’s not enough to speak [these things], now is the time to show them. It won’t be easy, but I’m confident that with the team we have and the passion we have, we will fight for it, and I hope we will be successful here.’
‘definitely, definitely, because even before I came here I was already in contract with them and they were already giving me some advice on how the club is doing, how the players are acting, how everything is going on,’ he said of being reunited with his former Ajax teammates.
‘So it helped me a lot, and I’m extremely delighted to be here,’ she says.
‘I chatted with a lot of players, and they all told me how difficult it is to play here, but also how good it is to be here because the Premier League is something special, and it is not simple for everyone to play here in this tournament. But they’ve already given me some advice, so all I have to do now is put it into action.’
