Breaking News: Manchester United’s self-inflicted issue is letting down £44m man

Andre Onana of Man United feels that this season marked a “turning point,” and that his teammates need to do more to support him going forward.

Onana spoke to the MEN after the Forest game. (Image: MI News/NurPhoto)

Speaking with media in the mixed zone on the first day of the season, Andre Onana was a good value. He also seemed to be in good standing following the Nottingham Forest match.

“I am already aware of who my goalkeeper is. It took me six or seven months to feel good, not to play well,” Onana said to two journalists and the Manchester Evening News.

“It was a challenging period for me. I feel a little better now. Everything was unfamiliar, and I had a hard time feeling at home for a variety of reasons, including the new nation. Right now, I feel great. The most important thing for me is to be set, to be happy, and to shine. I don’t want to talk about performance because I know the goalkeeper I am, and I have done much more than what I just did.

“Now that everything is behind me, we must move on, and together, a wonderful time will arrive,” he said. All of us have a bright future ahead of us if we just do the right thing.

“It wasn’t on the field where I had a turning point. As I mentioned, more mental. Naturally, I relocated from Amsterdam to Milan for the previous season, but it was a fairly simple adjustment. However, I was here for seven or eight months. Time to brush up on the basics and go game by game. I’m hoping we win in the end.”

Despite saving a penalty against Copenhagen, Onana made a number of well-publicized errors in the first half of the season. He was especially guilty in the Champions League group stage. By December, the 27-year-old had given up more goals than he had all season long with Inter Milan (36) and that had to have taken a toll on his self-assurance.

Onana spoke about his “mental turning point” on Wednesday night, but it’s possible that his performance against Liverpool at Anfield marked a turning point for him on the field. With Onana having had a great start to 2024, he became the first goalkeeper in the league to stop Liverpool from scoring at home, and his form has continued to improve ever since.

Last weekend’s match saw Fulham defeat United 2-1, but Onana made a number of crucial saves that would have determined the outcome of the match sooner. He appears to have gained confidence, but he needs more support from his outfield teammates because he is currently expected to make too many saves per game.

Only Sheffield United, who are currently bottom in the Premier League, have given up more shots than United, who have given up 435. Onana is being asked to do too much by the backline, and United needs to solve that so he can keep more clean sheets.

Since it’s a team effort in defense, the Golden Glove award is not a reliable indicator of a goalkeeper’s skill, but Onana has kept the second-most clean sheets this season (7). Despite United’s dismal season, Onana has a chance to win the award as only Ederson, David Raya, and Jordan Pickford (8) have recorded more goals.

Even though it seems unlikely, Onana is playing better and, following a fantastic Champions League performance, he’s looked like the ‘keeper United thought they were signing last summer. There is a lot of pressure associated with playing as the number one player at Old Trafford, but Onana appears to have weathered the storm, improving the outlook for his stay in Manchester.

He has grown, and United needs to quit giving up so many opportunities to support him.