da aviator aposta： Andre Onana has recovered from an error-strewn start to life at Manchester United, but Mark Bosnich admits there are still “yeah, but” questions.
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Acquired as successor to De GeaGot off to a slow start in EnglandYet to silence all of his doubtersWHAT HAPPENED?
The Cameroon international was identified as the man to succeed long-serving David de Gea between the sticks at Old Trafford. A big-money transfer deal was completed with Serie A giants Inter in the summer window of 2023.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT BOSNICH SAID ABOUT ONANA
Onana found the going tough early on, as costly mistakes crept into his game, with former United keeper Bosnich telling of how the 28-year-old has had to respond to those setbacks: “I watch a lot of football around Europe, and I had the pleasure last season of watching him help propel Inter to the Champions League final, and also do so well in Serie A. He was absolutely exceptional, so I thought when he went to Manchester United, that was a really good buy. He’d been with Erik ten Hag before at Ajax, he’d been a youngster at Barcelona, he’s very adept at playing out, too.
"But for quite some time this season, he was very disappointing. There was a feeling that every time a shot came, he was going to let one in. I don’t really know what was happening there. He’s not as protected at Manchester United, though. I felt for him. The greatest test for any goalkeeper is the Premier League, because you're not as protected as in Italy, where defending is an art form. At Inter, he was very well protected by their three centre backs. Slowly but surely though, you could see signs there that he’s been getting a grip of things. I know there's a lot of people that still think ‘Yeah, but’. Recently though, especially the first half against Liverpool, I thought he was outstanding.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While Onana’s form has improved of late, United have remained inconsistent as a collective. Bosnich, who took in two spells with the Red Devils during his playing days, added: “There are still lingering doubts about Onana and there will be – there will be about the whole of Manchester United until they start to get things back to where they were. That’s the enduring question about Manchester United. Will they get back? Once you've seen how high the club can go, anything beneath that… we’ve seen it before with Liverpool, after their dominance of the 70s and 80s.
"Until Manchester United are back in that position challenging with Manchester City, with Liverpool, and with Arsenal in the last couple seasons, people are always going to have complaints. When you’re a top player, you take the plaudits that come when things are going well. But as a top player, as with the manager, you’ve got to take the criticism that comes when things aren’t going exactly to plan – and they really haven’t this season. There’s no doubt about that, whichever way you want to look at it, second season syndrome, this, that and the other – this season has not has not been a good season for Manchester United. They’ve got to do everything they possibly can to finish strongly now. From my experience, teams that finish weak start the next season weak, and I don’t think Erik ten Hag can afford that if he is to stay. If he is to stay, INEOS are going to be watching. If he starts off in a poor manner, then he’s going to really struggle to survive. The foundations are laid down at the end of the previous season.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?
United sit sixth in the Premier League table with seven games left to take in this season – 11 points adrift of the top four and guaranteed Champions League qualification – while the FA Cup offers their only route to major silverware after reaching the semi-finals of that competition.