Tension has risen ahead of the Europa League quarter-final between Manchester United and Lyon. Cameroon goalkeeper André Onana stated that United is “much better” than Lyon.
Matic’s Harsh Criticism: “One of the Worst Goalkeepers”
Nemanja Matic, who formerly played for Manchester United and now plays for Lyon, called Onana one of the club’s worst goalkeepers in history. Matic made the following comments during a press conference on Wednesday:
“You know, I respect everyone, but to say that then you need to give the answer.”
“If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history, you need to take care what you’re talking about.
“If it was [Edwin] Van der Sar, [Peter] Schmeichel or [David] De Gea saying that, then I would question myself. But you need to have cover to say something like that.”
Onana’s Response: “I Would Never Be Disrespectful to Another Club”
Onana responded to Matic’s comments on X:
“I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent,”
“We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud.”
“At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”
Manchester United is currently in 13th place in the Premier League, and if they fail to succeed in the Europa League, they might not qualify for European competitions next season. For this reason, the Europa League is extremely valuable to them.
Amorim’s Statement: “A Misunderstanding”
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim downplayed the situation, stating that the comments had been blown out of proportion due to a misunderstanding:
“Tomorrow it will not matter,”,
“If you see the full quote of Andre Onana, it’s quite different.”,
“The first sentence is Lyon is a very, very good team, so I think sometimes the players or coaches don’t listen to the full quotes.”
“Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding and I know Matic also. He’s a great guy. Tomorrow is going to be a normal game.”
How Justified Are the Criticisms of Onana?
So, how justified are the criticisms of Onana? In fact, the Cameroon goalkeeper has a good save percentage.
However, he has been heavily criticized in the media due to goals conceded as a result of his own mistakes, Manchester United’s lack of a strong defense, and the high transfer fee paid for him.
Moreover, Manchester United has a strong goalkeeper culture, which adds pressure on Onana.