Alisson gives verdict on Onana as Liverpool hope to pile misery on Man Utd star
Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker has backed Andre Onana to succeed in the Premier League, despite his indifferent start at Manchester United.
Alisson, like Onana, swapped Serie A for the English top flight for huge sums of money. But whereas the Brazilian made a transformative impact at Anfield, Onana’s has been somewhat more costly.
The Cameroon international has made a string of high-profile gaffes since being signed by Erik ten Hag, with his errors playing a huge part in United’s Champions League elimination. But Alisson - who will be in the opposite goal to Onana this weekend - believes his rival keeper has all the skills to be successful.
“Onana is, of course, a really good goalkeeper,” he said. “The Champions League he played last season was amazing, the way he performed, but in my career I went through something similar to what he is living.
“Coming from an Italian club to England, to a big club, for a lot of money. This is a lot of responsibility over your shoulders and he came here with the responsibility to be the replacement for De Gea, who maybe was not in the best shape of his career but he was still delivering.
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“He delivered so many good things for Manchester United and so many appearances for Manchester United and (to replace that) is a big step in your career.
“I think he is capable of this responsibility, but sometimes it takes longer with some than others. You are changing team, you are changing league, they are trying to adapt and discover themselves and that can affect you a lot.”
Andre Onana has endured a difficult start to life at Manchester United (Getty Images)Jurgen Klopp handpicked Alisson in the wake of Liverpool ’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2018. And within 12 months his £67m fee was justified as he helped the Reds to their sixth European crown.
He was then the centrepiece of a Liverpool team which ended a generation of hurt to finally bring the Premier League title back to Merseyside. His status as one of the game’s best keepers has rarely been in doubt since his arrival in English football - in contrast to Onana who has seen his place heavily questioned.
Alisson added: “I was lucky in that I was coming to a team that was with everything already going in a different way, that was building, so I think he will get there.
Alisson accepts his situation at Liverpool was significantly better than Onana's at Man Utd (Bradley Ormesher NMCPool)“He needs to be patient, he needs to do that with everything that is going on in his life in the best way that he can and I think he is someone who is in this moment needs the support of everybody.”
Onana will hope for a better afternoon than his predecessor enjoyed in front of the Kop, with De Gea conceding seven on a chastening afternoon back in March.
But the current Red Devils stopper will likely have his work cut out behind another makeshift back four for the daunting visit to Anfield on Sunday. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are both doubts for the clash after picking up injuries, with Ten Hag forced to shuffle his deck yet again.
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