Manchester United started their Champions League campaign with a 4-3 defeat on Wednesday night and new goalkeeper Andre Onana picked up a lot of flak for his blunder that led to Bayern Munich’s opener.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper allowed Leroy Sane’s tame effort through his hands as Bayern took the lead, completely against the run of play.
United continued to collapse after a brief drop of the heads, which is not something we can afford to do against teams like Bayern in Europe.
We had been dominating at that stage, but Onana’s lapse of concentration really let us down on the night because it killed the momentum Erik ten Hag’s side was building against the German champions.
Onana ended up conceding four goals on the night, although he did make a number of decent saves to prevent Bayern from racking up a cricket scoreline. That said, the 4-3 scoreline was flattering itself.
United’s new first choice keeper addressed his mistake after the game and took full responsibility for the defeat.
Onana said: “It’s difficult. I think in the beginning we were good but after my mistake, we lost control of the game… I am the one who let the team down.
“My start in Manchester is not so good. Today is one of my worst games. It was a big opportunity for us to bounce back from the pressure we’re facing, but it’s tough. We have to be together.”
Jonny Evans, who re-signed for United as a free agent during the summer, was our only defender on the bench at the Allianz Arena. He applauded Onana’s brave decision to speak after the game and believes he was being harsh on himself.
“It’s a big thing for him to do that,” Evans told TNT Sports. “He didn’t have to do that. But I think it’s very difficult for any player coming to a new club to hit the ground running and maybe he’s been a bit harsh on himself.”
The Northern Ireland international raises a good point and we shouldn’t forget that Peter Schmeichel and David de Gea both had slow starts at United.
Evans added that he is confident Onana will turn things around: “He’s replacing David de Gea, who was here for a long time. Again, remember, David at the start of his career at Manchester United, maybe went through a bit of a tough time to settle in and we saw what sort of career he would go on to have for this club.”
Hopefully things start to look up for Onana and he can show his best form in a United shirt. He has our backing.
Get the latest Manchester United news, opinion, interviews and exclusive features with the Stretty Newsletter – Ad Free! Kick off your afternoon with the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
