“Was difficult for me to feel at home” – Andre Onana admits fighting mental demons after horror start at Man United

Following David de Gea’s struggles towards the end of the 2022/23 season, it had many fans and critics alike clamouring to see Manchester United replace him. That’s exactly what the Red Devils did as let De Gea depart the club as a free-agent and spent £47.2 million to sign Andre Onana. However, the goalkeeper struggled to find his footing at the club initially, making several high-profile errors.

That included big mistakes against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in the Champions League which cost the Red Devils their place in the tournament as they finished bottom of their group. Not only that, Onana’s struggles continued in the Premier League but over the last few weeks, the 27-year-old has managed to find his place within the squad. It has seen his stock rise recently although he still has a journey before he reaches the level he was previously playing at with Inter.

Onana acknowledges his struggles at Old Trafford

But in an honest interview, Onana opened up about the issues he had when he first arrived at Old Trafford and revealed that he struggled to adjust initially. However, the Cameroon international admitted that he’s beginning to feel more at ease now and is confident of rediscovering his best. Not only that, he believes he will “shine” at the club going forward.

“I had a turning point, but not on the pitch… more mental. Of course, last season I moved from Amsterdam [with Ajax] to Milan but that adaptation was quite easy. But it took me seven, eight months here. It was just time to learn and go game by game. I hope we will end on top,” Onana told the Telegraph.

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“I already know the goalkeeper that I am. It took me six months or seven months not to play good just to feel good. It was a difficult time for me. Now I’m feeling a bit better. Everything was new, it was difficult for me to feel at home for so many reasons… new country.”

“Now I’m feeling good. I don’t want to talk about performance because I know the goalkeeper I am. The most important thing is to be set, to be happy and I will shine.”

Manchester United are aiming for a top four finish

Manchester United’s early exit from the Champions League had many fans clamouring to see Erik ten Hag sacked, the club’s form in the Premier League hasn’t done much to assuage them. The Red Devils currently sit in sixth place and are fifteen points off Manchester City, who they face next. It has many worried for the club’s future but despite that, Onana has admitted the squad are aiming for a top-four finish. The goalkeeper insisted that the team has what it takes and that he “believes” in the squad and manager to overcome any challenges.

“One hundred per cent – that’s why we are here. We are going to try to end on top even if we have a lot of injuries. Of course it’s not an excuse but this season a lot of things happened, a lot of moments it was difficult for us.

“But as a Manchester United player you must win so we are all responsible for what happened. I take all the responsibility like always. I know how good we are and I believe in my players and that everything will change,” Onana added.