Andy Cole has heaped praise on one Manchester United player for his resurgent turnaround and ability to perform amidst such tumultuous conditions.
The treble-winner’s pick for United’s most valuable player this term may take some fans by surprise, as he’s gone for Andre Onana over the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes or others.
That being said, you can see where he’s coming from in terms of the frantic matches that the goalkeeper has had to endure, all while being behind an ever-changing backline.
When Willy Kambwala and Harry Maguire were deployed from the offset against Liverpool last Sunday, it marked United’s 26th different back-four of the season.
Indeed, Onana’s performances in the Champions League left a lot to be desired, with portions of the fanbase deeming him the reason that the Reds exited Europe at the group stage. However, his form in the Premier League as of late has been commendable given the outrageous number of shots he’s had to face each match.
A concerning stat for Red Devils fans.. 😬
Manchester United have faced more shots than any other side in Europe's big-five leagues in 2024.#BBCFootball #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Or6Mgxd461
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) April 4, 2024
Cole lauds Onana’s resilience
That’s exactly why Cole was keen to give the Cameroonian his flowers. He said (via DAZN): “He’s definitely overworked at the moment and that’s why we’re talking about him.
“He’s producing a hell of a lot of saves and many of them are ones that he shouldn’t even have to produce, but because Manchester United continue to give the ball away in certain areas so easily, the goalkeeper has been their MVP on a lot of occasions. He has unbelievable feet too.
“Fair play to him because he had a tough start, but now he’s starting to show what a good goalkeeper he is.”
