Ruben Amorim responds to question about dropping Andre Onana after disasterclass against Lyon
RUBEN AMORIM has leapt to the defence of Andre Onana – insisting he WON’T drop the under-fire keeper.
The 29-year-old was at fault for both of the goals Manchester United conceded in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie with Lyon on Thursday, which ended 2-2.
Onana’s clanger in second-half stoppage-time denied United a 2-1 win at the Groupama Stadium and strengthened calls for Amorim to buy a new keeper in the summer.
But the Red Devils gaffer Amorim insists he still has faith in the calamitous Cameroonian, saying: “If you look at the season, I’ve made more mistakes than them during these last games and during these last months.
“There’s nothing I can say to Andre in this moment that will help him.
“So the most important thing is to be natural and then when the time comes I will choose the best XI to play.
“But I’m really confident in Andre.”
When asked if he could drop Onana, Amorim defiantly replied: “No we continue to do the same thing.
“Training, seeing the games, trying to choose the best eleven to win every match.”
“When one player has a mistake, all the team has a mistake so we continue like that.”
Man Utd ratings vs Lyon as two Onana blunders earn under-fire keeper a ONE out of 10
MANCHESTER UNITED were left ruing calamity goalkeeper Andre Onana as two massive blunders saw them leave their Europa League quarter-final first leg with a 2-2 draw against Lyon.
The season-defining clash for both clubs became even spicier ahead of the game following a war words between Onana and ex-Red Devils star Nemanja Matic, with the Serbian dubbing the goalkeeper “one of the worst in United history”.
It certainly riled up the home side’s crowd, who made their voices known as Ruben Amorim named an unchanged team – for the first time since his arrival – from the Manchester derby.
But Onana was found wanting when he failed to save Thiago Almada’s inswinging free-kick to give the hosts the lead.
Leny Yoro nodded in an equaliser just before the interval after Manuel Ugarte‘s volley.
And Joshua Zirkzee looked to have won the game for the visitors with his late header converting a Fernandes cross.
But United’s joy was short-lived as Onana parried a shot straight to Rayan Cherki in added time, and the midfielder tapped in to leave the tie on a knife-edge.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tony Robertson rated the Red Devils in France…
Onana’s horror show came just days after former United midfielder Nemanja Matic branded him “one of the worst” goalkeepers in Manchester United history.
The Serbian, who anchors Lyon’s midfield, said: “Onana? Pfft, I respect everyone but to say that then you need to get the answer.
“If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history, you need to take care what you are talking.
“If David de Gea or Peter Schmeichel or [Edwin] Van der Sar said that, I would question myself.
“But if you are one of the, statistically, worst goalkeepers in Man Utd’s modern history then, you know, he needs to show that [he is much better] before he says [that].”
Onana hit back at Matic by mocking his failure to win silverware at Old Trafford.
But Matic ended up having the last laugh due to Onana’s costly errors.