Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana revealed that it took him six months to “feel good” at Old Trafford.
United invested £47.2m to acquire Onana from Inter Milan in July, aiming to fill the void left by the departure of four-time club player of the year David de Gea.
Despite high expectations upon his arrival, the Cameroon international faced setbacks early on. He was chipped from 50 yards on his Old Trafford debut against Lens and subsequently made a series of errors that contributed to the club’s poor performance in the Premier League and their elimination from the Champions League group stage.
Onana’s performances showed little improvement until after his return from the Africa Cup of Nations in February. Although he has occasionally made mistakes, he is now considered one of the more dependable members of manager Erik ten Hag’s squad as they prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City (15:00 BST).
“I arrived as the best goalkeeper in the world and ‘boom’ it went down. It was like ‘what happened?’,” said the 28-year-old.
“But that is how difficult football is sometimes. It depends if you want to stay down there or stand up and fight. I know what I did to arrive here. I know who I am. I decided to stand up and fight.”
Onana cites the example of team-mate Marcus Rashford for why players need to avoid the extremes of judgement.
Rashford scored a career-high 30 goals last season. This term, he has managed eight and didn’t even make England boss Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man European Championship squad, let alone the final cut.
“We are talking about the same player,” said Onana. “So now he’s a bad player? No. You can have a bad season or a bad start but the most important thing is how you end.
“Rashy, for me, is one of the best players in the world. But he is facing difficulty. It’s not only him and me but the whole club.
“But he will come back. I know my killer will score some important goals for us. Hopefully against City he will score two and we win the FA Cup.”
‘I don’t mind facing 20 or 30 shots’
Some United fans are cautious about facing Manchester City in a second consecutive FA Cup final due to the high number of chances their team allows.
During a seven-game stretch between March and April, the opposition consistently managed a minimum of 20 shots per match on Onana’s goal.
In their previous encounter with City in March, United only had three shots compared to their opponents’ 27 in a 3-1 defeat.
Onana attributes this to the adjustments Ten Hag has had to make to the team’s defense.
The partnership between Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, which began at Brighton on May 19, marked the 15th different central defensive combination United have used this season. None of these partnerships have started more than four consecutive games.
“I don’t mind facing 20 or 30 shots,” said Onana. “I am very happy with what my team-mates are doing because a lot of them make sacrifices for the team.
“It would be nice to have everyone back but what can we do? Hide? We are a big club. We have to go on the front foot and deal with difficulties. I am positive. I know things will get better. If not today, tomorrow.”
‘Ten Hag big enough to back himself’
Onana doesn’t dwell too much on the overwhelming odds favoring City to repeat their triumph from 12 months ago, when United conceded after just 12 seconds, marking the fastest goal in FA Cup final history.
He recalls his time with Inter Milan, where they posed significant challenges for City in last season’s Champions League final. Despite being the better team at times, they ultimately succumbed to Rodri’s decisive strike.
Saturday’s match holds immense significance for Ten Hag, whose future at United remains uncertain.
Onana has a close relationship with the Dutchman, having worked together at Ajax for five years before both departed in the same summer, with Ten Hag moving to United as Onana left for Italy.
“I’m not here to back him because he’s big enough to back himself,” said Onana. “But he’s a really good guy, a positive coach and tactically he is good.
“If he had all his squad together, it would probably be different for him, for us, the club and the fans.
“We know how good City are. They are the best team at the moment and we lost twice to them already.
“But we are motivated. Beating them wouldn’t make it a successful season. Playing for this club, I don’t think winning the FA Cup is enough.
“But it would make things look better. We go there to win.”