Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has expressed unwavering support for goalkeeper Andre Onana following his crucial mistakes in the team’s 2-2 Europa League quarterfinal draw against Lyon.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper faced intense scrutiny before the match after Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic labeled him “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history” in response to Onana’s claim that United were “way better” than their French opponents.
Under hostile conditions at the Groupama Stadium, Onana’s errors proved costly. He misjudged Thiago Almada’s free-kick for Lyon’s opener, and despite United taking a 2-1 lead through goals from Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, Onana spilled Georges Mikautadze’s stoppage-time strike, allowing Rayan Cherki to equalize.
“It can happen,” Amorim said post-match. “If you play football and you play a lot of games, you can make mistakes. If you look at the season, I make more mistakes than them during these last games and during these last months.”
The Portuguese coach maintained his faith in Onana’s abilities: “I’m really confident in Andre. The good thing is that we have one more game to change everything, so that should be our focus.”
Onana’s struggles at United have been well-documented since his €50 million transfer from Inter Milan last summer. While he’s shown flashes of the ball-playing ability that made him a standout at Ajax and Inter, consistency has eluded him in England.
Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca downplayed the pre-match tension between Matic and Onana: “It was not a war. These are normal situations in football. It was not a strategy by Nemanja Matic at all.”
The draw leaves the tie finely balanced heading into next week’s return leg at Old Trafford, where United will need improved defensive stability to advance to the semifinals. For Onana, it represents another opportunity to silence his critics and demonstrate why United invested so heavily in his services.
