When Andre Onana sprayed 44 passes with a success rate of 73% during the Champions League final in June 2023, football fans were in awe.
Manchester United fans, in particular, were overjoyed upon learning that their club was pursuing the ball-playing goalkeeper, especially after a season where their number one shot-stopper, David De Gea, had caused them considerable heartache.
Manchester manager Erik ten Hag successfully acquired Onana from Inter Milan for £47m, leading to De Gea’s departure after 12 years of service to the club, ending his 450 appearances in United colours.
![Andre Onana starred in the Champions League final for Inter Milan. [Photo/Courtesy].](https://capemedia.africa/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ANI-20230611072314-1024x640.jpg)
Despite the positivity and accolades surrounding this move, and his reunion with a manager he had previously worked with at Ajax, Onana’s start to life in Manchester has not been ideal.
The Cameroon international has conceded an astonishing 15 goals in just six games, with a significant portion of these goals resulting from individual errors on his part.
Even Onana himself acknowledges his subpar performance for Manchester United and feels the pressure.
“I have a lot to prove. My start in Manchester has not been good or how I want. The way I played today was one of my worst games,” he admitted.
![Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana in action against RC Lens at Old Trafford on August 5, 2023. [Photo/Courtesy].](https://capemedia.africa/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Andre_Onana_Manchester_United-1024x536.jpg)
Great goalkeepers often go unnoticed, but Onana is consistently making headlines, trending on social media, and publicly apologizing for his performances in front of the cameras.
Manchester United had a promising start in the match against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena as they made their return to the Champions League, but then came the Andre Onana moment.
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The 27-year-old committed a critical error, gifting a goal to Leroy Sane and initiating a 4-3 defeat. After the match, he requested an interview to apologize to the fans.
“The team was really good but it was because of me we didn’t win this game,” he acknowledged.
![Andre Onana after committing a howler to gift Bayern Munich the opener. [Photo/Courtesy].](https://capemedia.africa/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/0_Bayern-Munich-v-Manchester-United-UEFA-Champions-League-Group-A-Allianz-Arena-1024x574.jpg)
Ten Hag has now suffered a third consecutive loss, each resulting in three goals conceded—a record Manchester United hadn’t seen in 45 years.
If the situation does not improve quickly, he may not even make it to the end of the season.
The decision to part ways with De Gea and invest heavily in Onana may be one of the contributing factors if he indeed doesn’t last the season.
