“Getting on my nerves” - John Terry accuses Manchester United star of ‘slowing the game down’ in Red Devils’ win over Aston Villa
Chelsea legend John Terry became irritated with Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana whilst watching the Red Devils beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Sunday (February 11).
Onana has had his fair share of critics this season amid a disappointing start to his United career. The Cameroonian has made several glaring mistakes, conceding 51 goals in 33 games across competitions while keeping 10 clean sheets.
However, the former Inter Milan shot-stopper put in a fine performance in Manchester United's win at Villa Park. He made eight saves, including an impressive diving save to deny John McGinn's long-range effort.
That said, Onana was constantly slowing down the pace of the game when taking either a goal kick or having gathered the ball in his possession. This didn't go down well with former Chelsea captain Terry.
The Blues icon took to X (formerly Twitter) during the game to display his frustrations with the Cameroon international:
"Onana is getting on my nerves, slowing the game down and then keeps giving it away. Catch it and stay in your box!"
Onana is known for his ball-playing capabilities and this was a key reason why Erik ten Hag signed him from Inter for £47.5 million. The former Ajax goalkeeper was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d'Or last year following an impressive 2022-23 campaign at the San Siro.
The Red Devils shot-stopper helped Ten Hag's men secure a hard-earned victory against their top-four rivals. Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay were on target for the visitors while Douglaz Luis had initially equalized for the hosts.
Manchester United icon Roy Keane praised Andre Onana following his outing against Aston Villa
Onana has endured an extremely difficult start to life at Old Trafford, plagued by some questionable goalkeeping. Many think he's largely to blame for Manchester United's exit from the UEFA Champions League in the group stages.
The Cameroonian made mistakes in defeats to Bayern Munich (4-3) and FC Copenhagen (4-3) that proved costly. He has performed better in the Premier League and his display against Villa was a promising one.
Roy Keane moved to praise Onana after watching him keep Unai Emery's side at bay. He said (via United in Focus):
"The goalkeeper looks a bit more solid. So the signs for United are a bit better than they were a month ago."
Onana replaced Manchester United legend David de Gea at Old Trafford in the summer and he had big shoes and gloves to fill. The Spaniard spent 12 years with the Red Devils, predominantly as the club's No.1, keeping 190 clean sheets in 545 games across competitions.