Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has opened up about the challenges he and his teammates have faced during their dismal season.
The Cameroonian shot-stopper, who arrived at Old Trafford from Inter Milan for a hefty £44 million fee last summer, has endured a difficult debut in the top-flight of English football.
Despite high hopes after an outstanding campaign for in Serie A, Onana’s debut campaign has been marred by disappointing performances, with the team conceding a staggering 75 goals across all competitions and managing just 12 clean sheets.
This statistic mirrors Manchester United’s broader downturn in fortunes, culminating in an eighth-place position in the Premier League and an ignominious exit from the Champions League after finishing bottom of their group.
Reflecting on his turbulent year, Onana admitted to initial doubts about his decision to join the Red Devils. “Yeah, it was really hard [to start off with] but it’s the first time I faced such a situation. Now I know the league, I know the people, I know the country, I know Manchester,” he remarked to the Mirror.
“But in the beginning I was like, ‘Wow, did I make the right choice?’ But I’m definitely 100 per cent sure I made the right choice because Manchester United is the bigger club in this country, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
Andre Onana confident for the future of Manchester United
Looking ahead, Onana exudes confidence that the upcoming summer break will provide an opportunity for the team to regroup and come back stronger next season. While there are still four Premier League fixtures and an FA Cup final left to play this term, the goalkeeper’s focus has already shifted towards the future, where he anticipates a marked improvement for the club.
It has been a far from convincing debut campaign for Andre Onana, but one cannot forget the broader issues at Manchester United. The team have been forced into chopping and changing their back four all season due to injuries, which of course can only disrupt the man between the sticks.
The supporters should give him the benefit of the doubt until he has a settled and more sturdy defence in front of him.