Andre Onana echoes Erik ten Hag’s worrying response to defensive issues | OneFootball

Andre Onana has endured a rollercoaster of a Manchester United career to date.

His signing from Ajax in the summer was met with much fanfare as the Red Devils and Erik ten Hag finally had a modern keeper who was as comfortable as they come on the ball.

However, he soon became the villain as a string of high-profile errors in the Champions League helped contribute to the side’s early exit, especially two soft goals conceded in Istanbul that saw the Red Devils throw away the lead twice against Galatasaray.

However, the keeper has really turned his season around since then and has been one of the few consistently strong performers for the Red Devils since the turn of the year. He even won the club’s Player of the Month award for March.

Speaking to Sky Sports on his early criticism he claimed, “in life, everything is temporary and so you have to find a good balance”.

“Not too high, not too low… I knew six months before, I was seen as the best. Then it can be that in six months, everything changes and you just have to deal with the situation.”

“Critics are a part of life, especially when you reach this kind of level”.

The Cameroonian has also been complimented for his positive role in and around the dressing room and staff at Carrington have described him as the biggest positive influence around the club.

The 28 year old has also taken on a mentorship of the younger players, acting as a sounding board and especially paying close attention to breakout star Willy Kambwala. It is said that “his fluency in Spanish, French, English, Italian and his understanding of Dutch marks him the ‘golden thread’ of the dressing room”.

Onana has also been quick to praise his teammates and coaching department for their role in helping him settle into the squad.

“We are in this together. I want to thank Tom [Heaton], Altay [Bayındır], Richard [Hartis] and Craig [Mawson]. It’s been a difficult time, a difficult situation, a difficult start for me. We have to protect each other, especially when things are not going good”.

“Most of the keepers who have been here at Manchester United had difficulty in the beginning. These are the kind of messages they were giving me, and the players also helped me so much”.

One of the most controversial topics of 2024 has been United’s ludicrous openness which has seen them concede more chances than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.

Elaborating a little on the issue he claimed, “if this year is a price to pay, I’m ready”.

The 28 year old then made a somewhat incredible statement for a keeper when he asserted, “last season, Manchester United didn’t concede so many shots. But I don’t think it’s a big issue because at the end of the day, football is about goals and now we are scoring a lot. We’ll receive some against us sometimes, but we have defenders that work hard and we will do everything to block the shots”.

“It’s the risk we take because we are a very offensive team with the quality we have in front”.

Whilst Onana is probably trying to deflect criticism from his defence and also demonstrate he has the confidence in his own ability to deal with such situations, it echoes the worrying statements from his manager.

Many fans have been left taken aback by Erik ten Hag’s inability to understand the problem with conceding so many chances and have been downright bemused by his stubbornness to continue to play this type of chaotic, transition-fuelled football.

The goalkeeper did admit that injuries have certainly played their part in the team’s defensive woes but concluded that any player representing the club should have the skillset to deal with it.

“Well, it’s quite easy when you’re used to playing with the same back four,” Onana concedes but added, “We are Manchester United, so every player around the first team has the level to belong here”.

“Unfortunately we have a lot of injuries but that is an opportunity for others – like Willy, he was brilliant for us”.

“Being a goalkeeper is a position with a lot of responsibility. You have to be ready to play with anyone and… I can’t complain. Of course, when you are used to playing with the same line, it’s the best, but at the moment we don’t have that”.

Onana refused to answer the question on his best game, as he doesn’t believe he has shown his true potential yet but he does have a favourite experience, the topsy-turvy 4-3 FA Cup victory over Liverpool last month.

“It was crazy,” he puffs. “I was in shock. It was just beautiful to be there. The noise, it was so loud. The joy… wow!”.

Onana will be hoping to have a quieter evening than he has become accustomed to as of late against Bournemouth this evening.

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