Jonny Evans applauds Andre Onana’s bravery, feels he has the talent to overcome difficult start – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United succumbed to their third straight defeat on the trot upon their return to the Champions League against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Manager Erik ten Hag’s matchday squad included as many as four goalkeepers, a direct cause of the ever-increasing injury list at the club which was partly responsible for the result.

What did not help was the performance of goalkeeper Andre Onana, who allowed Leroy Sane’s tame effort to squirm past him to hand the hosts the lead against the run of play.

Onana’s first big mistake

United were dominating at that stage and had chances to open the scoring but that lapse in concentration from their new No1 really hurt their momentum.

The Cameroonian did manage to pull off quite a few decent saves in the second half of the contest but ended up conceding four times on the night.

He subsequently fronted up after the game in front of the media, choosing to speak on his own accord, and admitted that he felt it was his mistake that ultimately cost his side the game.

Jonny Evans, who returned to the club this summer, revealed to TNT Sports (via Eurosport) that he felt Onana’s decision to accept his mistake live on TV post-match was a thing of bravery.

“It’s a big thing for him to do that. He didn’t have to do that. But I think it’s very difficult for any player coming to a new club to hit the ground running and maybe he’s been a bit harsh on himself.”

It has been a difficult start to life as United’s starting goalkeeper, with the 27-year-old letting in 14 goals in the opening six games of the campaign.

The transition was bound to be difficult, especially after taking over from David de Gea, who was the No 1 at Old Trafford for 12 years and was known as an expert shot-stopper.

Evans confident that Onana will eventually come good

However, Evans recollected the Spaniard’s own difficult start to life as a United player and felt that the former Inter Milan man would slowly gain confidence as he gets used to his new surroundings.

“He’s replacing David de Gea, who was here for a long time. Again, remember, David at the start of his career at Manchester United, maybe went through a bit of a tough time to settle in and we saw what sort of career he would go on to have for this club.”

While Onana will be the first to admit that he has not excelled shot-stopping-wise, his passing out from the back has changed United’s approach play and is a huge positive for the manager who prefers his side to be confident in possession.

It is up to the Cameroon international to prove the other aspects of his game and ensure he becomes a fan-favourite as the season progresses.