Man Utd youngster brutally ripped into Andre Onana in training after Champions League nightmare
Andre Onana hasn’t always been backed by his Man Utd teammate. Andre Onana was brutally ripped into by a Manchester United youngster after enduring a Champions League nightmare.
Man United boss Erik ten Hag made a big decision in replacing long serving goalkeeper David de Gea last summer, and for a while it looked like he might have made a mistake.
Andre Onana arrived from Inter Milan to the tune of £47 million, a goalkeeper renowned for his confidence and ball-playing ability.
Though the Cameroonian has been one of United’s best performers of 2024, in the first half of the season he looked a shadow of the goalkeeper who helped Inter reach the Champions League final last year.
Onana produced a series of costly mistakes during his first few months at Old Trafford, especially in the Champions League.
Errors against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray contributed to United finishing rock-bottom of their group and crashing out of the competition.
His lowest moment came in Istanbul in November, when his two mistakes saw United draw 3-3 with Galatasaray having led 3-1, a result that all but ended hopes of qualifying for the round of 16.
Many United fans quickly started losing patience with the 27-year-old, and it appears that his teammates started to doubt him as well.
According to The Athletic, one United youngster – who had barely played for the first-team – brutally called out Onana during a training session as he felt the goalkeeper wasn’t saving enough shots.
Onana’s natural self confidence started to wane, and he reportedly told people close to him: “I don’t know what is happening to me with these mistakes. I always have confidence in myself but now I’m losing it.”
Onana has improved massively since the turn of the year, rewarding the faith Ten Hag publicly placed in him.
“He’s doing very well,” Ten Hag said after Onana impressed in United’s FA Cup win against Nottingham Forest.
“He has very good performances in the Premier League, he’s progressing, so he has to see this as a base and step up from here.”
Manchester United’s Andre Onana convinced he will put struggles behind him and succeed at Old Trafford
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has opened up on his early season struggles in new interview ahead of Manchester City clash.
Andre Onana is determined to put a “difficult time” behind him and succeed at Manchester United after replacing David De Gea in between the sticks this season.
Onana had built up a very good reputation in Europe and was the star of the show for Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League final defeat to Man City.
The goalkeeper arrived at Old Trafford last summer in a reported £60m deal, but the Cameroon international’s start to life in the Premier League went far from smoothly.
Onana was heavily criticised after a catalogue of mistakes early in the season with his Champions League performances particularly damning, however, since returning from the AFCON Onana appears to be in a much better place.
The 27-year-old opened up on his struggles at Old Trafford in the Daily Mail.
“It took me six months or seven months not to play good, just to feel good,” he explained.
“It was a difficult time for me. Now I’m feeling a bit better because everything was new. It was difficult for me to feel at home because of so many reasons, a new country.
“But now I’m feeling good. I don’t want to talk about my performance because I know the goalkeeper I am and I have done much more than what I just did. So, for me, the most important thing is to be set, to be happy and I will shine,” The former Ajax man continued.
Onana also made it clear he believes he’s turned the corner and can now fully kick on at United after putting his woes behind him.
“I think I had a turning point, but not on the pitch because, like I said, more mental because everything was different,” he said.
“Of course, I moved last season from Amsterdam (Ajax) to Milan, but that adaptation was quite easy.
“But it took me seven, eight months here. It was just time to learn and just go game by game. I hope we will end on top.”
During the interview, Onana praised both his fans and teammates for sticking by him during his dark moments earlier in the season.
“They always believed in me, they told me from the beginning, ‘Andre, listen, the quality is there, it’s just a matter of time,’ he said.
“I am very happy, especially with the supporters, the fans. They were nice with me even in difficult periods and I’m very thankful. I can only thank them.
“I think everything is behind me. Now we have to move on and I think together a great time will come.”
Onana will be hoping to back this up at the weekend against local rivals Manchester City, as Erik ten Hag’s men aim to upset their neighbours title bid.
Topics: Manchester United, Andre Onana, Premier League, Inter Milan, Champions League, Erik Ten Hag, Manchester City
Footage of Andre Onana smashing every drill in Man Utd training has got fans talking
Andre Onana has joined up with the Manchester United squad for their pre-season tour of America – and he is already impressing.
It’s only been a matter of days since Andre Onana joined up with his new teammates on their pre-season tour of America and the highly-rated goalkeeper is already making a solid first impression.
Earlier this week, after a fee of £47.2 million was agreed between United and Inter Milan, the 27-year-old Cameroonian shot-stopper penned a five-year deal at Old Trafford worth a reported £115,000 per week.
Onana, who registered the most clean sheets in last season’s Champions League campaign, jetted out to New York on Thursday to link up with the squad, just two days after completing his medical.
And it hasn’t taken long for footage to emerge from his first training sessions as a Manchester United player.
The former Ajax goalkeeper can be seen performing a number of drills, including a passing exercise, alongside Tom Heaton, who played the full 90 minutes against Arsenal, and Cumbrian keeper Dean Henderson.
Onana’s ability with the ball at his feet was a key reason behind the big-money transfer and, as you can see from the clip above, Onana has the technical prowess to thrive in England’s top flight.
But his almost underrated shot-stopping ability has also impressed fans, as well as the club’s coaching staff.
Here’s how social media reacted to the footage.
One said: “Them coaches can’t believe what they’re seeing,” while another commented: “This dude’s passing is better than some of our central midfielders.”
A third wrote: “You don’t understand the grin I had to myself watching Onana passing the ball through lines here with venom. He’s going to change everything to do with the back line positioning but also where Mount & Fernandes receive ball in transition.”
A fourth added: “Still unreal we’ve signed him, he will improve our build up so much. Can’t wait.”
Shortly after the deal to sign Onana was confirmed, Erik ten Hag opened up on why he has signed the former Cameroon international, who retired from international duty last year.
“Most important, always for a ‘keeper, is clean sheets and he’s not doing that on his own,” he said. “Therefore, you need a very good defensive organisation, [it’s] quite clear. But also the capabilities of a keeper is [about] keeping the goal clean.
“So this is the first criterion of a good goalkeeper. But, nowadays, football also demands good playing from the back, out-playing qualities, and that is a quality Andre has. You need both and you need to cover both areas.
“I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He’s so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels.”
Erik ten Hag was convinced to sign Andre Onana for Man Utd after three key moments
It took three moments to convince Erik ten Hag to sign Andre Onana for Manchester United, according to a new report.
The Cameroon goalkeeper moved to Old Trafford earlier in July for a fee of £47.2 million, as a direct replacement for David de Gea.
The goalkeeping position had been a priority for Ten Hag since allowing De Gea to leave the club on a free transfer in July after a 12-year spell.
United faced the prospect of Dean Henderson, who was loaned out to Nottingham Forest last season, being the club’s number one goalkeeper despite mass uncertainty over his future.
Instead, Onana will fill that role. He brings with him a wealth of experience, having reached the Champions League final last season with Inter Milan and played under Ten Hag at Ajax.
One of his main strengths is his distribution, especially when under pressure – a key part of Ten Hag’s playing style.
And according to a new report, the United boss decided to target the shot-stopper after three key moments last season.
Why Man Utd signed Onana, the Athletic claim that it was three errors made by De Gea last term that convinced Ten Hag to act and sign a new number one goalkeeper for the upcoming campaign.
United had been in talks with De Gea over a new contract, with Fabrizio Romano claiming in May that both parties were close to agreeing fresh terms.
But the club eventually decided to withdraw their offer to the Spaniard, and The Athletic have reported the thinking behind that decision.
They say that the two goals De Gea conceded in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, in which he could not keep out long distance efforts from Ilkay Gundogan, played a role, as well as the fact that he had to kick the ball out due to City’s aggressive pressing.
De Gea also made an error that led to goals in the 3-0 defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League, a scoreline which led to United’s exit from the competition at the quarter final stage.
He also made an error in the 1-0 defeat to West Ham in the same month, with those moments convincing Ten Hag that he had to make yet another big decision in his managerial stint at Old Trafford.
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