Why Andre Onana chose no.24
New Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has explained the reason why he has chosen the no.24 shirt at his new club.
Onana could have picked the no.1, which was vacated by David De Gea when he left Old Trafford at the beginning of the month.
That jersey is, of course, the traditional squad number for a goalkeeper, with several of our greatest in that position – including De Gea, Onana’s idol Edwin van der Sar and Peter Schmeichel – wearing it.
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But Andre has sported no.24 more often than not in his career, for Ajax and Internazionale.
He originally opted for it at the Amsterdam club because it represented his day and month of birth – 2 April – and now wants to stick with it due to the success he’s had with it throughout his career.
“I just like that number. It’s my birthday. My date of birth,” he said, in his first interview after signing.
“For me it’s great, it’s beautiful.
“I like this shirt because [in] this shirt, this number we have done a lot and I hope it will continue.”
United’s most notable wearer of the shirt during the Premier League era is Darren Fletcher, as our technical director was no.24 for all but two of his 324 United appearances.
GET YOUR ONANA SHIRT
Printed ‘Onana 24’ goalkeeping jerseys are now available to purchase from United Direct.