Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana was back on the spotlight with masterclass goalkeeping during his side’s second-leg Europa League quarter final match against Lyon at Old Trafford on Thursday, April 17.
The 29-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper made five impressive saves in the 120 minutes game which the Red Devils won 5-4 (7-6 on aggregate), progressing to the Europa League semi-final. Of the five saves, three were inside the box. But most importantly, among them were three diving saves.
Although he conceded four goals, analysts of one of the best sports platforms Sofascore gave him a 7.2 rating out of 10, which contrasted slightly with the 6.5 Fotmob recorded.
None of the goals he conceded could be attributed to goalkeeping errors—the more reason why he has been removed from the lips of critics.
Why it matters
After the game, the Cameroon international was quick to post on Instagram—a message of a few words that spoke in the place of a thousand words— “This is built with the Onana mentality”.
This turns the tide around. A long week of endless banter dies, and from its ashes, rises a week of bliss.
Prior to the game, the man between the sticks at Old Trafford had conceded two goals in the first leg away to Lyon. Both goals, critics believed, came from goalkeeping errors at varied degrees, nailing Onana and uplifting Lyon midfielder, Nemanja Matic in his claim that the Red Devils are witnessing the worst goalie in their long history.
The Cameroonian was subsequently rested by Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim for the following Premier League game against Newcastle United, with stand-in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir given his first league start for the club. Although the Portuguese had intended to help his goalie to stay away from the noise, many still perceived it as a punishment.
Either ways, the result was not pleasant at all for the club as their opponents scored four and conceded just one. Fans then shifted blame from the rested goalkeeper to the team, as a cross section of them could not wait to have the Cameroonian back between the sticks.
Once in his position again, Onana faced the challenge of proving critics wrong and winning back his place in the hearts of the fans. And how he managed to pull out of that crazy mental trauma and keep his head high up is a thing you can’t separate from “This is built with the Onana mentality”.
Manchester United will clash with Spanish side Athletic Bilbao on May 1, 2025 in the Europa semis. Another masterclass from the former Inter Milan and Ajax star could sweep away any speculation of a move away from Old Trafford in the next transfer window.
