Andre Onana names four Man United stars who should bear the burden of the club’s disastrous season | OneFootball

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has named three players alongside himself, who should receive most of the criticism instead of the youngsters for the club’s struggles this term.

United concluded their Premier League season on Sunday with a 2-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion.

The result saw United finish in eighth position, their lowest-ever finish in their Premier League history.

It also means that Europe is out of reach for Erik ten Hag’s men, whose final chance at clinching Europa League football lies in whether they’ll manage to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley this weekend.

Ten Hag has borne the brunt of the criticism for United’s woes this term.

The 54-year-old coach has been consistently placed under intense scrutiny by fans, ex-players and the media in general.

Onana spoke on the latest episode of The Overlap and admitted that the criticism hasn’t really affected him but he has concerns over the effect it has on younger players.

As such, the Cameroonian said that he prefers the blame to be directed at himself and senior players like Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Casemiro.

“For me, I don’t pay attention to it. I have come into this team to take bullets because we are under construction – at the moment, we are not the best.”

“We have other teams who are doing better than us and we have to be honest and recognize that. If things and when things are going wrong, don’t go for the youngest player – I’m here to take it, Bruno [Fernandes], Casemiro and Harry [Maguire] are there and we are used to it.”

“When it’s people who were sitting where I’m sitting, who won everything, sometimes it’s bizarre – we are in the same boat. We try to follow your thing and what you did. For me, I don’t mind, but other people may be affected. For me, to be honest, it’s just a part of the game.”

The 28-year-old pinpointed injuries as something that has greatly hindered the team but he praised many players who have been forced to fill into makeshift roles for the greater good.

“[On the lack of consistent centre-back partnerships at United] I think that’s an issue for the whole team – the manager, the staff and the medical team. What we are facing, it’s not nice for all of us, but we are Manchester United, we cannot use this as an excuse – so we have to deal with the situation.”

He added, “It’s not only about me – Harry [Maguire] is playing with Casemiro, we don’t know if he likes it or not, but we have to be pragmatic, and look what is best for the team. If I have to play striker, I will play striker.”

“Casemiro is doing a fantastic job for us – he’s playing there [centre-back] because the team need him there. Diogo Dalot is sometimes playing left-back because the team need him.”

The former Inter Milan shot-stopper also gave the example of Fernandes being deployed at centre-back for large spells of the FA Cup quarter-final game vs. Liverpool.

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