Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, is determined to bolster his midfield options this summer. According to recent sources, a more youthful addition may be planned to give support and competition for the seasoned pair of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

Amadou Onana, a young Everton player who only recently moved to Goodison Park on a £33 million transfer, has reportedly been named as one candidate to fill that position, according to Football Insider. The former Lille star has apparently captured the manager of the United team’s attention.

In order to add “more power and physicality to his midfield” for the 2023–24 season, the report indicates that Ten Hag has “given the green light” to the transfer. Another article from the same journal suggests that the Toffees would approve a sell for a cost of roughly £50 million.

Although the 21-year-old Belgian has previously been praised as “one of the most talented young players in Europe” by his former national team manager Roberto Martinez, the Old Trafford hierarchy may be concerned about the possibility of signing a player who has drawn comparisons to former United flop Marouane Fellaini.

Would Onana be a wise addition to Man United’s roster?

Onana has certainly displayed flashes of his talent during Everton’s season-long struggle for survival, scoring one goal and dishing out two assists in 31 Premier League appearances. He was hailed as “superb” by reporter Richard Buxton after Everton’s surprise victory over Arsenal earlier this year.

Despite the great potential of the Senegalese star, people at the Theatre of Dreams should be concerned given that Fellaini, a fellow countryman, had a turbulent five-and-a-half-year tenure there.

The 6 foot 4 brute was signed by David Moyes for £27.5 million from the Merseyside club in the summer of 2013 and was the only acquisition of that transfer window. According to Sky Sports journalist Nick Wright, his playing style “did not tally” with the club’s “traditions.”

Fellaini-Man-United-Everton-Onana-Premier-League-transfer
It was evident to see the 87-cap powerhouse’s “lack of quality” – as noted by club legend Gary Neville in 2016 – having perhaps epitomised United’s scattergun transfer approach in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, even though he eventually managed to become a valued member of the squad after scoring 22 goals in 177 games across all competitions.

The fact that young Onana has previously been compared to Marouane Fellaini by former Red Devils star Rio Ferdinand and that the aforementioned Martinez has also drawn comparisons between the two based on their “physical presence and dynamism” is concerning.

Even Belgian veteran Axel Witsel, who has played alongside both players, has said that Onana has a “air of Fellaini,” while he also claims that his younger teammate is “better on the ball.”

The 6 foot 4 starlet, who shares the same towering presence as Fellaini, who was released by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in February 2019, would undoubtedly offer a distinctive replacement for Ten Hag in the midfield ranks, but United would be wise to reconsider paying anywhere close to a £50 million fee for the six-cap menace.