Andre Onana has acknowledged that Manchester United has endured a challenging season, finishing eighth despite a final day victory against Brighton. The goalkeeper, however, remains optimistic that better days are ahead.
During his debut season at Old Trafford, Onana faced over 200 shots in Premier League matches alone, highlighting the defensive issues that plagued Erik ten Hag’s squad. United conceded 58 goals and scored just 57, resulting in their lowest Premier League finish and missing out on European competition.
Despite the potential to win the FA Cup against Manchester City, Ten Hag’s future remains uncertain. Onana, who joined from Inter Milan for £43.8 million last summer, reflected on a debut campaign to forget.
Discussing the numerous shots he faced on “The Overlap,” sponsored by Sky Bet, Onana said, “It’s a price to pay. Everything is temporary – last season they didn’t face that, and I’m 100 percent sure that next season we will not face that. It’s football – it’s about moments, and we faced a lot of injury crises, lost a lot of important players – but, of course, it’s not an excuse. It’s just a bad season for all of us, and we have to stay positive as we are doing at the moment. I know everything will be alright – if not this season, it will be next year.”
The 28-year-old Cameroonian has shown improvement at Old Trafford after a shaky start. Yet, overall, United has regressed from finishing third and winning the Carabao Cup in Ten Hag’s first season, drawing substantial criticism.
When asked about former United players turned pundits criticizing the team’s performances, Onana responded, “I don’t pay attention to it. I have come into this team to take bullets because we are under construction – at the moment, we are not the best. We have other teams who are doing better than us and we have to be honest and recognize that. If things are going wrong, don’t go for the youngest player – I’m here to take it, Bruno [Fernandes], Casemiro, and Harry [Maguire] are there and we are used to it. When it’s people who were sitting where I’m sitting, who won everything, sometimes it’s bizarre – we are in the same boat. We try to follow your example. For me, I don’t mind, but other people may be affected.”
United concluded their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win at Brighton, thanks to goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund. However, victories for Chelsea and Newcastle kept them in eighth place. Only a win over City in the FA Cup final offers a path to European football through the UEFA Europa League next season.