Rio Ferdinand urges Andre Onana to ‘buck up his ideas’ after Manchester United error
Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana to ‘buck up his ideas’ after his error in the win over Brentford on Saturday.
Onana was at fault for Brentford’s opening goal, which saw United destined for another defeat before they scored twice in added time to turn it around 2-1.
The Cameroon international got a touch on Mathias Jensen’s low shot but it was a weak attempt at a stop as the Bees took the lead at Old Trafford.
Onana only moved to Old Trafford this summer, replacing David de Gea, but he has already made a number of high-profile mistakes, including in Champions League defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
Rio Ferdinand’s thoughts on Onana’s mistakes
Quizzed about Onana’s big celebrations after United beat Brentford, Ferdinand drew comparisons to his own performance for England against Greece in 2001, in which he did not play well but David Beckham’s late free-kick secured a draw.
‘I saw a bit of myself, I didn’t play well when England drew against Greece when David Beckham scored that free-kick [to famously secure World Cup 2002 qualification],’ Ferdinand told his FIVE podcast on Monday.
‘I remember celebrating with Becks and thanking him. I saw a bit of that in Onana. When you make a mistake… I could sense the relief that he had.
‘He should have made the save. In training, he probably makes that save every day. I saw a quote from Peter Schmeichel, who spoke to him and told him not to let [the pressure of] Man Utd get to you.
‘At the moment, there are nerves that are in there, because of the mistakes. A lot of people are asking if he can recover. I was there when De Gea came. He was obviously younger but he didn’t start well, you know. I think in his first 10 games or so, the numbers are similar to Onana.
‘If you were to speak to Onana himself, I think he would say, ‘This is not the start I wanted, this is no way near the level I am used to performing at and this is not the standard required at Man Utd so I need to buck up my ideas’.’
Onana’s future at Manchester United
Onana has been linked with a move away from Manchester United in recent weeks, with reports suggesting he is reluctant to play for Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations due to his poor form.
However, Ferdinand believes Onana can still be a success at Old Trafford if he can find his form again.
He added: ‘He needs to get back to basics and start making saves again. He needs to get back to the level we know he can get to. He needs to get back to the level he was at Ajax. He needs to get back to the level he was at when Man Utd signed him. That’s what he needs to do.’
Onana has made nine appearances for Manchester United since joining from Ajax in the summer and will be hoping to put his recent mistakes behind him and rediscover his best form.
Conclusion
Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana to ‘buck up his ideas’ after his error in the win over Brentford on Saturday. Onana has made a number of high-profile mistakes since joining the club this summer and Ferdinand believes he needs to get back to basics and start making saves again if he is to be a success at Old Trafford.