I’m leaving Manchester United at the end of the season – Andre ONANA tables transfer request amid much criticism after Man City worful lost yesterday

ndre Onana unhappy with Man Utd performances: ‘I know I can do better – I believe everything will be alright’

Manchester United's Cameroonian goalkeeper #24 Andre Onana looks on during the UEFA Champions League group A football match between Manchester United and FC Bayern Munich at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by PETER POWELL / AFP) (Photo by PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images)

By Luke Bosher

Dec 17, 2023

17

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana says he is unhappy with his performances since his summer transfer — but believes he and the club will improve with time.

Onana arrived from Inter Milan for €51million (£43.9m, $57.4m) plus €4m in add-ons but several costly errors have led to criticism early on in his United career.

The 27-year-old was a top performer for Inter in last season’s run to the Champions League final especially, but this week could do nothing to prevent United from finishing bottom of their group and going without European football for the second half of the campaign.

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“I came here with a lot of ambition,” Onana told Sky Sports. “I wanted to win everything. But things went wrong and things are not going how I want. But I have to stay positive.

“If I have to speak about myself so far at United, I’m not happy because I know I can do much, much better.

“I’ve done it (before), and I know I will do better than what is happening now because football is just moments and it will change. And when everything changes, we will become the best again.

“You want to tell me in six months the best goalkeeper of the Champions League last season became the worst in the world? No!

“As I said in the beginning, everything is temporary. I know it will be alright. If it’s not today, it will be tomorrow. And if it’s not tomorrow, it will be after tomorrow.”

Onana was held responsible for conceding two goals in United’s 3-3 Champions League draw with Galatasaray last month, failing to deal with two free kicks from Hakim Ziyech. He previously made errors in United’s 2-1 win over Brentford in October, failing to prevent Mathias Jensen’s shot from going in, and in September’s 4-3 defeat against Bayern Munich, allowing a seemingly straightforward Leroy Sane shot to squeeze in underneath him.

“Now, we are not facing a good moment,” Onana added. “I hope things will change as soon as possible but the critics are good because at the end of the day, you have to deal with that. It’s the price to pay when you are the United goalie — it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. So when things are not going good, they have to shoot on you. As I always say, I am ready for that.

“I wish we could turn around the situation right now but maybe it will take time, we don’t know, we just have to fight and see how things are going to be. But the critics of me, it’s part of my life.”

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A tough start to life in Manchester

Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Carl Anka

Several factors contribute to Onana’s underwhelming start to life at Old Trafford. Injuries to left-back Luke Shaw and centre-back Lisandro Martinez have reduced United’s ability to build play and progress the ball in a measured manner. In the absence of those two from the back four (as well as Casemiro from central midfield), Onana has often resorted to kicking long to a rotating cast of midfielders and attackers who have been unsuccessful in winning the majority of their aerial duels.

A difficult situation has been made worse by Onana’s unorthodox goalkeeping style.

Fans and pundits have questioned his positioning when facing shots, and his behaviour before leaping to make a save in either direction does not always follow conventional wisdom, leaving many to believe he is more susceptible to conceding easy goals. It is an argument that has followed Onana throughout his career.

He prefers a wider stance than is generally recommended to young goalkeepers, believing that the manner in which he plants his hands and feet gives him more power and stability when diving to the ground. During his time at Ajax, this stance was queried, before tests at the Dutch club revealed Onana’s method did indeed see him get to the deck quicker than other ‘keepers.

Onana’s shot-stopping technique requires a phenomenal sense of timing and high athleticism to work at its best, but h