During a training session earlier this season, a young player from Manchester United reportedly directed criticism towards Andre Onana, expressing dissatisfaction with the goalkeeper’s performance in saving shots.
Onana, aged 27, made a high-profile move to the Red Devils from Inter Milan for £47 million in the summer transfer window, promptly assuming the role of the club’s primary goalkeeper following David de Gea’s departure.
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Despite arriving at Old Trafford with a commendable reputation, his debut season has been marked by challenges.
The Cameroonian international has been responsible for a series of costly errors leading to United’s losses this season. These blunders, along with subpar individual displays such as his calamitous performance against Galatasaray, significantly contributed to United’s premature exit from the Champions League.
According to a recent report from The Athletic, Onana’s difficulties came to a head following a disappointing match in Istanbul.
Allegedly, a young player with limited first-team experience taunted Onana during a training session, questioning the dejected goalkeeper, “Are you going to save one or what?” amidst a series of unsuccessful saves.
While many initially doubted Erik ten Hag’s decision to trust Onana early in his tenure at United, the Dutchman remained steadfast in his support of the goalkeeper, with whom he had previously collaborated at Ajax.
At the time of his arrival, Onana’s reputation was soaring, having played a pivotal role in Inter Milan’s journey to the Champions League final the previous year.
Gradually, Onana has acclimatized to life at Manchester United and has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks. Ahead of the Manchester derby last weekend, he acknowledged that the latter half of 2023 was arguably the most challenging period of his career.
“It was a difficult time for me,” said Onana. “Now I’m feeling a bit better. I already know the goalkeeper that I am, but it took me six months or seven months not to play good, just to feel good.
“When I moved from Amsterdam to Milan, that adaptation was quite easy. But it took me seven, eight months here. It was just time to learn and go game by game.
“Everything was new, it was difficult for me to feel at home, for so many reasons, in a new country. It was just moments. Sometimes you’re faced with a difficult situation, just not feeling good, not playing good, because I didn’t think I started to play good.
“So, it was just something strange, but it was a good time for me to learn. Because I learned a lot at that time. Playing in the final of the Champions League for Inter and being knocked out in the first stage a few months later, was a big lesson for me. Now I think I have everything on my back, learn from it, move on and try to be happy. That is the most important thing.”
