Andre Onana has been dubbed ‘one of the WORST goalkeepers’ in Man United history, but is he? From Massimo Taibi to Roy Carroll, where does the Cameroonian rank among Old Trafford first-choice shot-stoppers?

Manchester United’s Europa League quarter-final tie with Lyon has already encountered a tasty battle before a ball has even been kicked following some fiery words between two of the opposition.

The stakes of this two-legged affair have been raised following some choice words between United goalkeeper Andre Onana and Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic.

The two players got into some verbal jousting on Wednesday after Onana claimed that United are ‘better than’ their opponents, which irked Matic.

In a brutal comeback, the 36-year-old retorted: ‘To say that, you need to have cover to say something like that. Onana, I respect everyone, but to say that, then you need to give an answer.

‘If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history, you need to take care what you are talking about.

‘If David de Gea, or Peter Schmeichel, or (Edwin) Van der Sar said that, then I will question myself.

Onana and Nemanja Matic’s war of words has added a spice to Man United’s clash with Lyon

Matic branded Onana ‘one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history’ after the goalie said that the Red Devils were a ‘better team’ than his current club, Lyon

Onana has hit back, mocking Matic for winning no trophies at United in a five-year spell

‘But if you are one of the statistically worst goalkeepers in Man United modern history, he needs to show that (they’re better) before he says.’

Taking to social media, Onana clarified his initial comments before mocking Matic’s trophyless stint at Old Trafford.

He wrote: ‘I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent. We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud.

‘At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.’

The exchange has drawn many an eye to Thursday’s first leg, but is there any truth to Matic’s words?

Taking away Schmeichel, Van der Sar or De Gea from Manchester United’s modern goalkeeping history leaves you with an interesting pool of shot-stoppers who were definitively the club’s No 1, at a point, to choose from.

Mail Sport have decided to exempt Fabian Barthez from this too as, although he had his moments, he did win two Premier League titles at the club.

Dean Henderson has also been excluded as he was never truly No 1 during his tussle with De Gea.

Onana has been criticised for a series of high-profile errors since joining United in 2023 

So that leaves Massimo Taibi, Mark Bosnich, Roy Carroll, Tim Howard, Ben Foster, Anders Lindegaard and Onana as the potential candidates for this unwanted tag.

For notoriety alone, Taibi’s name is the one that comes to the forefront of many minds.

Taibi’s catastrophic error in a 3-3 draw with Southampton on September 25, 1999 is still talked about now some 25-and-a-half years on after he let Matt Le Tissier’s tame daisy-cutter go through his legs.

He only featured in one more game for United after that which was a 5-0 defeat at Chelsea on October 3, 1999.

The Italian only played four matches and failed to keep a clean sheet in any of them, conceding 11 goals in the process. However, it must be caveated that his debut was a man-of-the-match display in a 3-2 win at bitter rivals Liverpool.

The eventual No 1 that season was Bosnich. The Australian rejoined the Red Devils in the summer of 1999 and came in as Schmeichel’s replacement.

Massimo Taibi (left) and Mark Bosnich only Premier League starts came in the 1999-00 season

He helped the club win the Premier League title by 18 points in 1999-00 but that is as good as it got for him. That ensuing summer, Sir Alex Ferguson bought Barthez.

Bosnich did not play a single minute in 2000-01 and in Ferguson’s autobiography he dubbed him a ‘terrible professional’.

Post-Barthez in 2003 saw Howard and Carroll both have a crack at the position – with both having high-profile errors.

Howard’s moment came in that Champions League clash with Porto in 2004 when he spilled Benni McCarthy’s stoppage-time free-kick to let Costinha pounce and dump them out at of the competition – sparking that infamous Jose Mourinho celebration.

The American lost confidence after that and Carroll was entrusted with the No 1 position. However, the Northern Irishman’s spell is most remembered for that ‘goal’ against Tottenham in 2005 when he spilled Pedro Mendes’ speculative shot from halfway line.

Tim Howard’s blunder saw Manchester United dumped out of the Champions League in 2004

Roy Carroll didn’t fare much better than Howard when he was handed his chance to be No 1

Ben Foster came in at a time when Van der Sar was at the club but the Englishman was seen as his long-term successor.

He had a chance to stake his claim as No 1 at the start of the 2009-10 season, with Van der Sar injured, but like others aforementioned there were some notable errors.

Despite wins against Arsenal and Manchester City in the top flight, he received criticism for his individual performances.

Back-up goalkeeper Thomas Kuszczak later would overtake Foster in Van der Sar’s absence and Foster joined Birmingham City at the end of that season.

After Van der Sar came De Gea, but at one point his future at the club looked in doubt with Ferguson unsure between him and Anders Lindegaard.

As De Gea struggled initially with the physicality of the Premier League, the Dane got his chance but never truly grasped his opportunity.

Ben Foster (left) and Anders Lindergaard are two other keepers who failed to take their chance

And that is where we now come on to Onana. The Cameroonian’s talent alone makes him the best of the goalkeepers aforementioned but recency bias will have his critics come to the fore and it’s hard not to disagree at times.

Statistically his clean sheet percentage is the second lowest of the seven goalkeepers at 26 per cent. Only Taibi (zero per cent – but only from four games) is lower. In 69 games for United, Onana has only kept 18 clean sheets and has faced 331 shots with a 70.1 per cent save ratio (236 saves).

In his defence though, excuse the pun, he has a weaker defence in front of him. The other names mentioned had the likes of Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in front of them.

Onana has not had that luxury and since he joined the club he has never played behind a settled backline. At times last season a makeshift Casemiro and veteran Jonny Evans were in front of him.

Onana’s two seasons at Old Trafford have seen many a high-profile error, despite some good

However, there is also the eye test and there has been a catalogue of blunders from him. His errors ultimately cost United as they were embarrassingly dumped out of the Champions League group stages last season – and there were other examples that term.

This campaign there has been notable errors against Viktoria Plzen, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town too. It should also be noted Onana has at times made crucial saves this season and his ball-playing ability fits in with the modern era.

However, his sample season is bigger than his modern United predecessors and many supporters would like to see the £47m signing replaced this summer.

He can start shutting up his critics, and Matic, by having a resolute display in Lyon on Thursday night.