Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson Becker has spoken highly in defence of Manchester United’s Andre Onana.
The Cameroonian was sought in the summer to succeed David de Gea between the sticks after his 12-year stay at Old Trafford came to an end. The deal set United back a hefty £47 million to acquire Onana’s services from Inter Milan, where he spent just one season and won two trophies.
He also played a crucial role in the Italian side’s journey to the Champions League final – a campaign that saw him lauded by fans, viewers and eventual winning manager Pep Guardiola.
Shortly after Onana tasted defeat from Manchester City’s narrow 1-0 win in Istanbul, Erik ten Hag cherry-picked the 27-year-old to be his new No.1 following De Gea’s release, with the two already being well-acquainted from the years they spent together at Ajax.
Since then, it’s been nothing short of a problematic start to life at United for the goalkeeper. A growing catalogue of costly errors and mistakes has seen him make the headlines numerous times, and conceding 39 goals in his first 24 matches has been deemed an indisputable red flag.
Alisson voices sympathy for Onana
Onana still retains the backing of his manager, who has frequently asserted that he has full faith in the player, and Alisson has also opted to speak out in support of his fellow ‘keeper.
Speaking to The Times ahead of Liverpool’s clash with United on Sunday, Alisson stated: “Onana is of course a really good goalkeeper. The Champions League he played last season was amazing, the way he performed. But in my career, I went through something similar to what he is living.
“Coming from an Italian club to England, to a big club, for a lot of money. This is a lot of responsibility over your shoulders and he came here with the responsibility to be the replacement for De Gea, who maybe was not in the best shape of his career but he was still delivering.
“He delivered so many good things for Manchester United and so many appearances for Manchester United and [to replace that] is a big step in your career. I think he is capable of this responsibility, but sometimes it takes longer with some than others. You are changing team, you are changing league, they are trying to adapt and discover themselves and that can affect you a lot.”