It has been a golden week for Andre Onana ahead of his first Manchester derby.
Matchday three of the 2023/24 Champions League had a positive outcome for Manchester United as the Reds finally got three points on the board following two defeats against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in Group A.
United beat FC Copenhagen thanks to a Harry Maguire goal as well as Andre Onana’s stoppage-time penalty save, and the celebrations at full-time showed how much it meant to the players.
Everyone knew going into the game that anything less than three points would see our Champions League campaign come to an end before the knockout phase.
So, hopefully, this is a matter of United reaching a turning point after a slow start to the season – three wins in three games – but the same also applies to our new goalkeeper. The next test will be against Man City in the derby.
Time to silence the critics
There is no hiding from the fact Onana, 27, has endured a rocky start to life at Old Trafford. The media and their favourite pundits will feed on his every mistake for soundbites, but we’ve got to give him time and Erik ten Hag understands that.
Now, United are starting to see exactly why Ten Hag has so much faith in Onana. The Dutchman didn’t think twice about the hefty transfer fee it took to sign him from Inter Milan, having initially worked together at Ajax, and he won’t let pressure from the media change his mind.
It’s inevitable that Onana will face more pressure at United than at any other club in the world. The Cameroon international will soon realise this, if he hasn’t already, but his last two performances should build his confidence.
Onana did himself a lot of favours with Saturday night’s display against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. He helped propel United to a much-needed win with five saves, two high claims, and 40 touches of the ball.
It doesn’t stop there.
Onana was back to his best three nights later after making a number of crucial saves in United’s 1-0 win over Copenhagen, including a 97th-minute stop to deny Jordan Larsson from the spot. It was the highlight of a top performance from a top goalkeeper. One that earned him a place in the Champions League team of the week.
The big hitters on Matchday 3 👊#UCLTOTW | @PlayStationEU
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 26, 2023
I believe these are clear signs that Onana is improving and growing in confidence. It should help change the trajectory of his season and put a stop to ridiculous speculation about David de Gea coming back.
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