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'That's why he looked so good at Inter...': Manchester United legend Paul Ince explains Andre Onana's woes in England
Manchester United legend Paul Ince analysed Andre Onana's woes for Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag has received plenty of criticism as Manchester United manager, which has further increased after their recent Champions League exit. The Dutchman has also been under-fire for his transfer decisions.
The club signed Andre Onana for 48 million Pounds from Inter Milan, with whom he reached the Champions League final last season. Inter eventually lost to Manchester City in the final. But Onana's arrival hasn't really reaped any benefits as United have conceded 21 goals in the Premier League this season and are meandering in seventh position in the table.
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Speaking to DAZN Bet, Manchester United legend Paul Ince said, "This phase of his career will provide valuable experience for him. It's not just him, either, as the goalkeeper is only as good as the defence he has in front of him. That's why he looked so good at Inter and why he didn't have so much to do. Man United are conceding a lot of goals and a lot of shots like we saw last night. They're not protecting him enough, and there lies the problem."
"Peter Schmeichel had Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane, and myself in front of him and it was hard for teams to get at us. Man United look all over the place and they're very open at times. That doesn't help Onana's performances whatsoever. It's a good learning curve for him and I think he'll get through it as he's a very good goalkeeper. He'll improve what he's doing, but I don't want him to completely change how he plays. Every player goes through bad times, and it's magnified even more due to him playing in goal
"People need to understand that the pressure at Man United is ten-fold. He started in OK form, but the pressure got to him after he made one or two mistakes – and we can see that in his form now. Some players take a few months to adjust, some take a year, and others never live up to the standards, pressure, and expectations of the fans. I think Onana has to get past that. The opposition fans always hound him when he's on the ball, but that's the pressure you have to deal with," he further added.
It also hasn't worked out for young Rasmus Hojlund, who arrived from Atalanta for an initial fee of 64 million Pounds plus eight million Pounds in add-ons. But he has failed to score a single goal or bag an assist in the Premier League. Meanwhile, he scored five goals in six UCL matches, but United failed to get past the group stage.
