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Onana’s post-match comments on Tuesday will have gone down well with the former Man United skipper.
David de Gea has been seen back in Manchester in recent weeks and has even taken time to catch up with some of his former Manchester United teammates.
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One man who he certainly won’t be inviting for a drink is Roy Keane. “I’d move him on quickly, De Gea. He’s not going to get United back lifting trophies, absolutely not,” the Irishman said on the final day of last season.
De Gea’s exit meant that, briefly, United no longer had a player in their squad who had lifted the Premier League title at Old Trafford until Jonny Evans made his shock return. The goalkeeper clasped hands on the League Cup in February but United look a long way off silverware this season.
Free agent De Gea made a number of high-profile mistakes last term and deliberations over a renewal over the summer meant he was unable to get a send-off after 12 years of service. Nevertheless, it was the right time for a new face between the sticks.
Andre Onana oozed class during Inter Milan’s run to the Champions League final last season but his first contribution in the competition for United saw him drop a clanger for Bayern Munich’s opening goal.
Further mistakes against Galatasaray and Brentford have hardly instilled confidence in his defenders. In truth, the Cameroon star has not been helped by the constant changes at centre-back with at least six different pairings fielded in his first 10 matches.
He will hope Tuesday night is a turning point in his maiden United season. Peter Schmeichel has already spoken to Onana twice about his mentality and perhaps was preparing for a third chat when Copenhagen’s Jordan Larsson – son of Henrik – put the ball on the penalty spot.
Instead, he was screaming with delight when Onana palmed the ball away to secure all three points for United. Despite the furore at full-time on what was an already emotional night for the club, the goalkeeper remained cool in his post-match comments.
“I just had to do my job, you know,” Onana said. “I had to do it for us to win, to win against a very tough opponent, we had a great game.”
Keane may disagree with the second line, but he will be delighted with the first comment. The former United captain had often butted heads with Schmeichel during his playing career.
Keane was always hesitant to hand him praise for making saves he felt were merely in his job description. He often threw the same line at De Gea. The 31-year-old was handed the Golden Glove award after United’s final-day win over Fulham.
Keane, of course, downplayed the feat: “United were bound to improve from last year so everyone patting him on the head is ridiculous. It’s his job.”
After hearing Onana’s comments on Tuesday, perhaps he will now be satisfied that United have got a goalkeeper who seems to uphold the same mantra as him.
