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Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has revealed how Andre Onana has reacted to the immensely difficult past few days.
Onana was dropped from the United matchday squad that suffered a 4-1 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday, following his error-prone display in last week’s 2-2 Europa League draw with Lyon at the Groupama Stadium. The Cameroonian was at fault for both goals his side conceded, costing them the upper hand heading into the return leg later this evening.
He first misjudged a Thiago Almada free-kick, allowing it to creep past him before then parrying a shot into the path of Rayan Cherki, who made no mistake from close range to draw his side level in stoppage time.
Onana’s howlers came off the back of a bitter war of words with Nemanha Matic, who branded him “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history.”
However, despite this, Ruben Amorim confirmed the 29-year-old will start in the second leg, with Altay Bayindir dropping to the bench. All eyes will undoubtedly be on Onana, whose Old Trafford future has now come under intense speculation as the summer transfer window nears.
Maguire spoke to TNT Sports and insisted that Onana’s difficulties have not affected his infectious energy around the training ground.
The England international said, “He was his normal self. He’s come in on Monday this week and he’s been bright and brought a lot of energy to the team.”
“I’m sure he was frustrated with the goals and the way that they went in [against Lyon]. He’s a big personality, he’s a big player. He’s an experienced player. He’s won lots of trophies, he’s played in big games, and he’s an excellent goalkeeper, so we have great confidence in him that he’s going to perform.”
One player who was brilliant at Lyon was Leny Yoro. The 19-year-old opened his goalscoring account for United at the stroke of half-time, heading in a long-range Manuel Ugarte effort.
Maguire said about Yoro, “It was a clever finish, to be honest. A lot harder than it looked. It was a great header and I must say, in that game, he was excellent. I think it was his best game for us. I thought he was the best player on the pitch, actually.”
“Credit to him. A young boy, playing in a big game for Manchester United. He’s shown great experience, and he was excellent in the game.”
Maguire emphasised the importance of winning the Europa League after a wretched Premier League season that currently has the Red Devils in 14th place in the table.
Asked if the campaign can still be considered a success by lifting the Europa League, Maguire answered, “There’s no doubt it’s been a difficult season. We could win the Europa League, and it’s still not a season we’re going to look back on and think we’ve performed well in because we haven’t.”
“It’s been far too inconsistent, lost too many games. The big moments in the games we haven’t dealt with well. Games on a knife edge, we’ve always ended up losing the games.”
He continued, “I’ve been here six years and our fans are always amazing. They’re the best fans in the world. They follow us up and down the country, away from home and even at Old Trafford. Unbelievable fans. I think we need to put on a performance and make them feel proud and going home with a smile on their face.”
United vs. Lyon kicks off at 20:00 BST.
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