“It’s a big thing for him to do that" - Manchester United star backs Andre Onana after the goalkeeper's howler in UCL loss to Bayern
Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has backed Andre Onana following his error in his side's 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. The Northern Irishman drew comparisons between Onana and Red Devils legend David de Gea's start to life at Old Trafford.
Onana, 27, has struggled in the early stages of his United career, conceding 14 goals across competitions. The Cameroonian goalkeeper headed into the Group A clash with Bayern with a ton of pressure on his shoulders.
Manchester United made a promising start at the Allianz Arena but their hard work was undone by a poor piece of goalkeeping from Onana. Leroy Sane's long-range shot was fumbled by the former Inter Milan shot-stopper and he wore a face of desperation.
Erik ten Hag's men would go on to lose 4-3 but all the talk post-game was about Onana's mistake. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims he requested to take an interview and apologized to his teammates for the error.
His teammate Evans has now touched on the difficulties that the Cameroon international is experiencing. He talked up the Ballon d'Or nominee's courage to speak following the game, telling TNT Sports:
“It’s a big thing for him to do that. 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."
Onana was signed by Ten Hag as De Gea's replacement, who also struggled in the early stages of his Manchester United career. The Spaniard then went on to become one of the best shot-stoppers in the club's history, winning their Player of the Year award four times.
Evans alluded to De Gea when continuing to back Onana to bounce back:
“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.”
The Cameroonian arrived at Old Trafford off an impressive season with Serie A giants Inter. He kept 19 clean sheets in 41 games across competitions. He was one of the Nerazzurri's standout performers in their 1-0 Champions League final defeat to Manchester City.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag sends encouraging message to Onana
Ten Hag reacted to his goalkeeper's mistake in the loss to Bayern by insisting he'd recover. The Dutch tactician coached Onana previously at Ajax and he spearheaded Manchester United's pursuit of him in the summer. The Red Devils boss said (via the club's official website):
“[In] football on the whole, [there] will always be mistakes and this is one mistake. So we also don't make it bigger than it is."
Ten Hag refused to place all the blame on his shot-stopper and he highlighted how he recovered in the second half:
“This was not just Andre and then, after that, he made, in the second half, great saves for us and he shows his capabilities and abilities. He will bounce back, and he is a very important player.”
The Cameroonian will be eager to do so when Manchester United face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday (September 23). He can't afford to dwell as his side have made a poor start to the season with three defeats in five league games.