Manchester United made a major change in the summer by dispensing with the services of goalkeeper David de Gea.
Manager Erik ten Hag moved to sign his former Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana, who was coming off a strong season at Inter Milan.
It has been a difficult start for Andre Onana at Manchester United. He was partially culpable for the team’s Champions League exit, with high-profile errors in matches against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
There has been a lot of attention on the new first-choice stopper, who will see deputy Altay Bayindir stake a claim for his spot once he links up with Cameroon for the African Nations Cup.
READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2024, ins, outs, loan moves
Andre Onana confident at Manchester United
Andre Onana has had to show mental resilience to bounce back from his errors, and he has learned to do this during his career as a goalkeeper.
In a new interview with Sky Sport Italia, Onana says he is confident the team’s difficult phase will pass.
He explained: “At United, I have my future in my hands, we just have to get up and I’m sure we will. For this reason I say that life is made up of moments, and as such, for better or for worse, they are always temporary.
“There can be good seasons and bad seasons, in life you have to understand when to enjoy the good moments and when you have to endure the bad ones.”
Onana’s message is a good motto for Manchester United to take right now, amid a poor 2023/24 campaign, and have to hope that the remaining half of the season is better than the first part.
The Cameroon international has started every game for United so far, 28 in all competitions, with eight clean sheets.
Onana backs strong relationship with Ten Hag
Ten Hag chose to re-sign his former Ajax stopper in the summer, and Onana is confident his relationship with the manager will lead to success.
He also confidently backed his performance last season as evidence of his capability, confident he can turn it around, saying that he earned his move to Old Trafford.
Onana said: “I have a fantastic relationship with him, together at Ajax we experienced some wonderful moments and did great things. But, as I always say, everything is earned on the pitch and I want to say that I’m definitely here because he wanted me, but also because I was the best last season.
“We shouldn’t take away the credit for the work done. I’m sure that things will improve for me here in Manchester too, because when you have the ability it’s only a question of time.”
Onana, 27, has experienced a lot to get to Manchester United and appears determined to be successful. There have been some good signs along with the worrying ones, pulling off some excellent saves and being praised by rival bosses.
It is great to hear his confidence come through in his words, you cannot be a goalkeeper at Manchester United without self-belief, such is the scrutiny on a player in his position.
2024 will have its challenges, with Bayindir stepping forward, but we expect Onana to make a positive contribution in the second half of the season.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
