Sometimes players come to a new team in a new country and can’t settle well, or they need more time than others. While there are players who don’t have those problems (Bruno Guimaraes, Luis Diaz, Erling Haaland to name a few), there are those who never adapt (like every West Ham striker in recent years), or those who need time to adjust to everything. Andre Onana belongs to this category. The Cameroonian keeper was a regular in Inter Milan last season, and his good displays are the main reason why he signed for Manchester United in 2023. But so far, he didn’t shine in England and not only did he made a series of blunders during the first part of the season, but he also didn’t play much at AFCON and drew too much attention from the media. Many pundits and fans criticized him, but he believes that those days are behind him and that he is fully settled now. 🚨 Andre Onana get the highest save success rate for Premier League so far (74%), and e don keep the second most clean sheets (7).#MUFC pic.twitter.com/TQeROTElg3— MUIP (@ManUtdInPidgin) March 1, 2024 “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 because of so many reasons. Now I’m feeling good. For me, the most important thing is to be set, to be happy and I will shine” promised the Cameroonian. No surprise here: hard-headed Onana dealing with the consequencesOnana’s philosophy is that every bad thing that happens is a possibility for learning and gaining experience. “It was a good time for me to learn because I learned a lot at that time. Playing in the final of the Champions League the season before and being knocked out in the first stage a few months later… it was a big lesson for me. Now I think I have everything on my back, learn it, move on and try to be happy. That is the most important thing” he said. Onana claims his love for Inter is ‘eternal’, but United is ‘bigger’Onana also emphasized the support he got from his Manchester teammates. “My team-mates, my players, they always reminded me who I am and the goalkeeper I am and why I came to this club. They told me, “Andre, it took some players two years, for others six months and others no time. You have that personality to turn the situation around. They always believed in me and told me from the beginning, “Andre, the quality is there, it’s just a matter of time. I am very happy, especially with the supporters, the fans, they were nice with me even in difficult periods and I’m very thankful. I can only thank them. Everything is behind me, now we have to move on and together a great time will come. We just have to do the right thing and the future will be brilliant for all of us” said Onana. Manchester United isn’t the best team in the world – but it is the most expensive squad ever assembledInter Milan is one of the biggest clubs in Italy, but coming to Manchester United means that the pressure is sky high. The Cameroonian keeper “We are big players, we know everything in life is temporary,’ he said of the dressing room. We know sometimes you lose, sometimes we win, unfortunately last week against Fulham we didn’t win but you have to switch because it’s always important to try and win every game and that’s why we are here. 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 that everything will change” he said.
