Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has hit back at Nemanja Matic after the Lyon midfielder called him ‘one of the worst goalkeepers’ in the English club’s history during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Speaking after Sunday’s Manchester derby, Onana said that Man United “are way better” than Lyon, with the Red Devils preparing to head to the Ligue 1 side for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
“It’s a very good team,” Onana told reporters. “We know some of them but I don’t think we have to focus on them. It’s more about us, what we’re going to do.
“I think we are better than them, we just have to go there and show who we are. If we go there with a winning mentality and we are focused, stay compact and together and we follow the game plan we will be winning the game.
“Of course, it’s not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them. We all know the importance of this game, we will go there with the winning mentality, it’s not our best season but we still have something to win and we will go for it.”
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Onana hits back at Matic after midfielder’s strong statement
Clearly upset by the Cameroonian’s comments, Matic called Onana “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history” during his press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t know… to say that, you need to have cover for something like that,” Matic told reporters. “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 of what you’re talking about. If David de Gea or Peter Schmeichel, (Edwin) Van der Sar said that, then I will question myself.
“But if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s modern history, then he needs to show that, before he says. We will see.”
Onana has now responded on social media, hitting out at Matic’s inability to win a trophy at Man United during his time with the 20-time English champions, which spanned between 2017 and 2022.
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Onana and Matic will go head-to-head on Thursday in the Europa League
“I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent,” Onana posted on his official X account.
“We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud. At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”
Onana has only kept 10 clean sheets in 54 appearances for Man United during the 2024-25 campaign, while he has only produced one shut-out in 10 appearances in the Europa League this term.
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