"It was a difficult time for me": Onana on his tough start with Manchester United
Mar 01, 2024
Manchester [UK], March 1 : Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana believes he is "feeling better" after enduring a mentally "difficult time" during his start to life with the Red Devils in the Premier League.
Onana was signed as the replacement for club legend David De Gea last summer. He joined Manchester United from Serie A side Inter Milan in a deal that could reach £47.2 million.
With a hefty price tag, pressure started to affect Onana after a couple of errors got him in line with criticism from fans as well as former football stars. Scrutiny started to mount on the 27-year-old and started to linger in his performances.
Onana over the past couple of games has started to show confidence in front of the goalpost and has established himself as the ball-playing goalkeeper that manager Erik Ten Hag and United wanted.
"I already know the goalkeeper that I am. It took me six months or seven months not to play good, just to feel good," the Cameroon international said as quoted from Sky Sports.
"It was a difficult time for me. Now I'm feeling a bit better because everything was new, it was difficult for me to feel at home because of so many reasons, a new country. But now I'm feeling good. I don't want to talk about my performance because I know the goalkeeper I am and I have done much more than what I just did. So, for me, the most important thing is to be set, to be happy and I will shine," Onana added.
Onana will back himself to pull off some eye-catching saves against the likes of Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne.
Manchester United will face Manchester City on Sunday and will be keen to improve their current situation in the Premier League table.
The Red Devils need three points to keep their hunt for a top-four spot alive. They currently sit in sixth position with 44 points They are currently eight points behind Aston Villa who occupy the fourth position.