Rio Ferdinand believes the odd mistake will come with Andre Onana at Manchester United but thinks it is worth it with the goalkeeper's playing style to help transform the Reds into what Erik ten Hag wants to see.
United are in the market for goalkeeping reinforcements following David de Gea's departure after 12 years at Old Trafford. Inter Milan stopper Onana is at the top of the list of targets.
The 27-year-old joined Inter last summer as the Italian side reached the Champions League final but suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of Manchester City. But Onana has played under Ten Hag before at Dutch side Ajax and both parties will therefore of course be familiar with each other.
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United are reported to have bid for Onana twice so far, but neither approach have yet met Inter's valuation of the stopper. The latest offer was €45m plus add-ons, but though Inter value Onana at €60m, a compromise of €55m could be reached.
Former United defender Ferdinand is excited by the prospect of seeing Onana at Old Trafford and believes it is a deal which will get done at some point this summer. He feels the ability to play out from the back will be key to what the Cameroon international would bring to his old side and transform how Ten Hag's outfit operates.
Ferdinand acknowledges there will be mistakes from playing this way with increased risk of being caught out. But the retired defender believes it is the way to go for United due to the benefits Onana's capture would bring.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: "I remember, and I watched a lot of Ajax when Erik ten Hag was there, and a lot of what he wants to do is about playing out from the back. You can see when he first came [to United] they got caught numerous times. Brentford is a game which sticks out in my mind away where they were trying to implement his playing style, which is definitely playing out from the back from the goalkeeper. They got pressed and they got battered and bruised doing that.
"Then they switched after that and started playing a bit longer and balancing out playing out from the back and then going long. I think ideally he will want to be a team that play out from the back immediately and control possession and control through the different transitions and phases of the game.
"To do that, you need a goalkeeper who is completely competent, really good, calm and authoritative and confident in doing that. Onana absolutely fits the bill.
"I remember that I spoke to Pep [Guardiola] before the Champions League final and he highlighted Onana, the goalkeeper, as somebody that they're going to have to prepare for. How many goalkeepers do you normally have to prepare for in terms of building up and building out from the back? There ain't many in world football.
"Onana is one of them, so he'll definitely give Manchester United a presence. He'll give Man United more confidence and more ability to play out from the back and I think he suits an Erik ten Hag team completely, so I can see that deal being done.
"If Onana is coming in, I think he's a fantastic signing. A huge talent and a real modern-day goalkeeper. You see teams pressing him and he does not even panic.
"He gets the ball into him, brings on the press, says 'come on, come to me', and then when that player comes to him he knows there's a player free somewhere else and he normally finds them. I think there will be mistakes and playing that risky way, you do have mistakes and that happens.
"But it's about staying true to your beliefs, finding a right balance and remaining confident throughout those periods. It's interesting to see how this pans out, but I believe this is a deal that will be made at some point through this transfer window."
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