01 March 2024 , 12:00
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Andre Onana has opened up on the difficult start to his Manchester United career and admitted it was one of the toughest spells of his career.
Onana joined United from Inter Milan for £47million last summer, replacing David De Gea, but made a series of high-profile and costly mistakes at the start of the season. The Cameroon international made major blunders in the Champions League against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, and was also culpable for conceding a tame shot against Brentford.
Erik ten Hag's judgment in signing Onana was called into question, particularly as Onana's famed distribution skills with his feet – one of the main reasons for recruiting him – had also deserted him.
But after a rocky start, the 27-year-old has settled in at United and has been more assured between the posts, producing a series of impressive saves in recent months, while his passing range has also improved.
But Onana did acknowledge the tough start he endured and paid tribute to Ten Hag, United's coaching staff and his team-mates for keeping faith with him when he was at his lowest ebb.
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“It was a difficult time for me,” said Onana. “Now I'm feeling a bit better. I already know the goalkeeper that I am, but it took me six months or seven months not to play good, just to feel good.
“When I moved from Amsterdam to Milan, that adaptation was quite easy. But it took me seven, eight months here. It was just time to learn and go game by game.
“Everything was new, it was difficult for me to feel at home, for so many reasons, in a new country. It was just moments. Sometimes you're faced with a difficult situation, just not feeling good, not playing good, because I didn’t think I started to play good.
Andre Onana has struggled at times since joining Manchester United (PA)“So, it was just something strange, but it was a good time for me to learn. because I learned a lot at that time.
“Playing in the final of the Champions League for Inter and being knocked out in the first stage a few months later, was a big lesson for me. Now I think I have everything on my back, learn from it, move on and try to be happy. That is the most important thing.”
Despite pressure to drop Onana, Ten Hag stood by his former Ajax keeper, while United's players rallied round their new team-mate.
“My team-mates, they always reminded me who I am and the goalkeeper I am and why I came to this club,” said Onana. “They told me 'Andre, it took some players two years, for others six months and others no time. You have that personality to turn the situation around'.
Andre Onana was impressive against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup (Getty Images)“They always believed in me and told me from the beginning 'Andre, the quality is there, it’s just a matter of time'. Everything is behind me, now we have to move on and together a great time will come.”
Defeat to Fulham last weekend ended United's five-match winning run and unbeaten start to 2024, but Onana is confident heading into tomorrow's derby – even with key players out through injury.
“We're going to try to end on top, even if we have a lot of injuries,” said Onana. “It's not an excuse, but this season a lot of things happened, a lot of moments it was difficult for us.
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“But as a United player, you must win, so we're all responsible for what happened. I know how good we are, I believe in my players and that everything will change.”
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