Manchester United players told to repeat David de Gea trick to help Andre Onana
24.10.2023 - 12:13
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has called upon the Reds' senior players to avoid the temptation of overly criticising Andre Onana as he attempts to find his feet at Old Trafford.
The ex-Inter Milan goalkeeper was signed in the summer to replace departing No.1 David de Gea. Erik ten Hag had aimed to keep the Spaniard on the books but the two parties could not reach an agreement.
Since Onana's arrival in the Premier League, the 'keeper has endured a tumultuous start to life as the Reds' first choice. Some mistakes the Cameroon international has made have been heavily scrutinised and have left some fans calling for the return of De Gea.
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Reflecting on Onana's start at United, Ferdinand told the Daily Mirror how he and his teammates helped the club's previous first choice when he was struggling at the beginning of his Premier League career. "Those moments [mistakes] are about the experienced players making the new ones more confident," he said.
"When they make a good save it’s about reassuring them, when they make a mistake it’s about not berating them. There will be times when you have to berate someone like that but when you know someone was young and fragile, like David was, you’ve got to box clever around those situations.
"He wanted to feel his team-mates had confidence. If your team-mates have confidence in you, f*** what anyone else has said. That’s what the experienced players at Man United have to do now, rally around."
Ferdinand is confident Onana has enough about him to recover from his mixed start at United. "He looks like a confident kid," the former centre-back, who