“Worst news headline”, “Peak joblessness” – Fans hit out at famous publication after 'terrible' article on Manchester United star Andre Onana
Fans have slammed UK publication The Daily Mail after a controversial article about Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana dropping his car keys.
Onana has made a difficult start to life at Old Trafford following his £47.2 million move from Inter Milan in the summer. The Cameroonian has conceded 14 goals across competitions amid a poor run of results for Erik ten Hag's side.
The 27-year-old fumbled Leroy Sane's opener in Bayern Munich's 4-3 win against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League midweek. It was a disappointing night for the goalkeeper who apologized to his teammates and fans post-match.
However, the UK publication have continued to pour misery on Onana who's evidently going through a tough period. They posted several pictures of the Cameroon international dropping his keys when getting into his car. One captioned:
"The Man United goalkeeper's handling woes continued as he was seen dropping his car keys."
Onana is a goalkeeper who has just been nominated for the Ballon d'Or following a superb season with Inter. He made 41 appearances across competitions, keeping 19 clean sheets.
He impressed in the Nerazzurri's 1-0 UEFA Champions League final defeat to Manchester City last season. He made three saves, two high claims, and completed 10 of 21 long ball attempts.
City boss Pep Guardiola praised Onana after that game and admitted that his side failed to dominate proceedings due to his ball-playing abilities:
“Identifying the space and emptying the midfield is a special quality. Normally, teams have great keepers, but he [Onana] is exceptional with his feet.”
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that Onana requested an interview following his error in the defeat to Bayern. He claims he apologized to manager Erik ten Hag, his coaching staff, and his Manchester United teammates.
However, the English media have decided to compound his woes with an article about him dropping his keys. Given the current situation, it's been met with mass backlash from fans on X (formerly Twitter).
One fan slammed the article:
"This might be the worst news headline i've ever seen."
Another fan was damning in the verdict of the publication:
"Peak joblessness I've ever seen. All this article because someone dropped his car key."
Another fan deemed it poor journalism:
"Wow man. What a terrible bit of reporting. Shambles."
Here's how fans on X responded to the controversial article:
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on players being viewed as robots amid Onana's recent struggles
Harry Maguire shed light on how players can get dragged through the mud when underperforming last season. The Manchester United defender has received much criticism recently for his performances for the Red Devils and England.
The 30-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and many were bemused by his call-up to the Three Lions squad earlier this month. He has made just one appearance for Ten Hag's side this season, amounting to 23 minutes of action.
Maguire was also replaced as Manchester United captain by Bruno Fernandes in the summer. Ten Hag may have been looking to take the pressure of the English defender's shoulders. The former Leicester City man alluded to the abuse he'd been receiving last season:
“I think people see footballers as robots who don’t have emotions, but of course we have emotions. We’re disappointed and we’re hurt when we don’t play well."
Thus, Onana may be feeling the pressure of playing for one of world football's biggest clubs at present. He has proven himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe and his current form isn't indicative of the shot-stopper he has shown to be.
He is a three-time Eredivisie champion and one-time Serie A champion. He has earned 35 caps for Cameroon, keeping 15 clean sheets.