André Onana has finally responded to praise he received from Pep Guardiola in 2023 now that he has departed Manchester United on loan.
Manchester United’s goalkeeping issues have been evident in recent seasons, with André Onana struggling to rediscover the form that once made him one of Europe’s top ball-playing goalkeepers.
Following on from his 2023 move from Inter Milan, the 29-year-old was unable to replicate his previous performances at Old Trafford.
After the club strengthened their options with the summer signing of Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, Onana was subsequently loaned out to Turkish side Trabzonspor.
Lammens has started his career at United impressively, with the Reds winning all three of the games he has played so far. Meanwhile, Onana is also in positive form in Turkey.
Onana finally responds to Guardiola praise
It wasn’t so long ago when Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was praising Onana ahead of the Champions League final with Inter Milan in 2023.
The Spanish manager labelled Onana as an ‘exceptional’ ball-playing goalkeeper, and after being asked about that praise this week, the United loanee has finally responded.
“Most of the time, the important thing for me is to try to do the best for the team,” he said, as per Sport Witness.
“If I have to create a play, I analyse it first. Are the opponents pressing, are they pressing with their wingers, are they pressing with their strikers, or are their centre-backs coming forward?
“These are the things I need to see when I have the ball. I watch how the opponents are moving and then I look at the options and make my decision. Of course, it’s always great to hear a comment like that from Pep Guardiola. He’s one of the best managers in the history of football.
“But as I always say, most of the time, it’s my teammates who give me the options when I’m building up the game. If they help me, the work looks much better.”
United now comfortable with Lammens
Onana’s ball-playing ability was the main reason he was signed at Old Trafford. He was supposed to help the Reds turn into a possession dominant side.
Unfortunately, for multiple reasons, that did not happen at United and he was instead expected to play longer passes regularly and be busy between the sticks, and he just wasn’t good enough.
The unorthodox nature of Onana’s goalkeeping created uncertainty. Now, we are seeing the influence of a calmer and more measured goalkeeper in Lammens.
The 23-year-old is clearly not the best goalkeeper in the world but you can see that he works hard on getting the basics right, and they were often the downfall for Onana.
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