"He didn't have to do that" - Jonny Evans sends message to Manchester United star after poor start to the season
Manchester United defender Johny Evans has sent a thoughtful message to his colleague Andre Onana following the latter's poor start to the season.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper took the blame after the Red Devils suffered a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League this week but his teammate feels he didn't really need to do that.
Andre Onana was at fault as he allowed a tame effort from Leroy Sane into the back of the net to give Bayern Munich their opening goal against Manchester United on Wednesday (September 20). The Cameroonian could also have done better with some of the goals the Bavarians scored later on in the game.
Speaking after the match, the goalkeeper was self-critical as he admitted that he let his team down. However, Johny Evans doesn't think that was necessary and has backed him to overcome the situation.
The defender also tipped Onana to follow in the footsteps of former Red Devils goalie David De Gea. The Spaniard also had a shaky start at the club but went on to become a fan favorite.
"It's a big thing for him to do that [take the blame after the match]," the Irishman told TNT Sports. "He didn't have to do that. But I think it's very difficult for any player coming to a new club to hit the ground running and maybe he's been a bit harsh on himself."
"I've seen that quite a lot. And I've experienced that myself. He's replacing David de Gea, who was here for a long time. Again, remember, David at the start of his career at Manchester United, maybe went through a bit of a tough time to settle in and we saw what sort of career he would go on to have for this club," he added.
Andre Onana's poor start at Manchester United in numbers
The Cameroonian goalkeeper joined Manchester United from Ajax in a deal worth €52 million this summer. However, his performances at the club have produced more questions than answers.
So far, Onana has made six appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, conceding 14 goals and recording just one clean sheet to his name. The Cameroonian has let in a whopping 12 goals in his last four games, averaging three goals conceded in every game.
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag will need to do something about Onana's poor level of performance to make the team more solid at the back.