Andre Onana’s response after conceding a goal from 40 yards in a pre-season match against RC Lens has garnered praise for his ‘elite mentality’.
The Manchester United goalkeeper experienced a mixture of outcomes during the game. Continuing his trend from various pre-season matches, the 27-year-old showcased ease while building play from the back, delivering 45 passes with an impressive accuracy rate of 87 percent.
His debut at Old Trafford also highlighted his proficiency in completing eight successful long passes, a statistic that is undoubtedly encouraging for United supporters.
However, these accomplishments were somewhat overshadowed by Lens forward Florian Sotoca’s opportunistic goal. Seizing upon a chance resulting from assertive positioning, Sotoca netted a perfectly-weighted chip after receiving the ball from an errant Diogo Dalot pass.
Didn’t expect “fuck it, it’s Onana” to catch on before the end of pre-season but here we are pic.twitter.com/nCH6as7YBw
— barry (@BackseatsmanLFC) August 5, 2023
Welcome to Manchester Onana 🤣 pic.twitter.com/VWHdt3ZuyZ
— EPL Bible (@EPLBible) August 5, 2023
Onana’s notable performances during Manchester United’s pre-season tour of America, particularly in his debut against Real Madrid, have showcased his precision in distribution and composure in various instances.
But some have criticised the former Cameroon international for his role in Lens’ opener on Saturday afternoon.
That being said, Onana has taken responsibility for conceding against the Ligue 1 side in his post-match interview, where he said he will “take all the criticism and pressure” for all the goals they concede.
“I’m happy for the win. Of course we can always be better,” he toldMUTV. “Some things we have to try to fix. Like I always say, I am responsible for everything especially when we concede goals.
“I’m the big man at the back so I take all the criticism, all the pressure on me. It was a great game for me and for the guys, some important goals and I’m happy for everything.”
You can watch Onana’s post-match interview in full below.
Andre Onana is HIM. 😤
Unreal mentality from our goalkeeper, no excuses at all, taking responsibility for his actions to cement his status as the ‘big man at the back.’
Our keeper ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zQQahrIX9o
— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) August 5, 2023
Onana would later speak about the reception he received from the Old Trafford crowd on Saturday.
“I am so happy for my debut,” he said. “But the most important thing was the victory. [The fans during the warm-up] was a great welcome for me. I am happy for the victory, today was important and now we get ready for the coming games.”
He added on next week’s Premier League opener against Wolves “I think this year will be great. I am very excited for the coming games. I’m already excited for Wolves, but we will have to prepare well because it’s not going to be easy.
“Everybody is working hard and I’m very confident and positive everything will be right if we do the right things.”