Andre Onana among ‘worst goalkeepers in Manchester United history’ – Nemanja Matic

Nemanja Matic has mentioned Andre Onana is “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history” forward of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg towards Lyon.

Matic, who performed for United between 2017 and 2022, was responding to Onana’s feedback that the Premier League aspect had been “way better” than the French aspect.

Onana had mentioned that Lyon — fifth in Ligue 1 having gained 4 of their final 5 league matches — could be underdogs for the tie, saying: “Of course it’s not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them.”

When requested instantly concerning the quote in his pre-match press convention on Wednesday, 36-year-old Matic mentioned: “You need to have cover to say something like that.

“Onana? You know, I respect everyone but to say that, you need to give the answer. If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history, you need to take care about what you are talking about.

“If David de Gea, Peter Schmeichel or (Edwin) Van der Sar said that then I would question myself, but if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s modern history, he needs to show that before he says it. So we will see.”

Matic has made 34 appearances in all competitions this season. He made 189 appearances throughout his 5 years at Manchester United. (Picture by Franco Arland/Getty Photographs)

Onana has since responded to Matic’s criticism of him, saying: “I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent. 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.”

I might by no means be disrespectful to a different membership. We all know that tomorrow might be a troublesome sport towards a robust opponent.

We concentrate on getting ready a efficiency to make our followers proud.

A minimum of I’ve lifted trophies with the best membership on this planet. Some can’t say the identical. pic.twitter.com/3easLRIz3d

— Andre Onana (@AndreyOnana) April 9, 2025

Talking at Wednesday’s pre-match press convention, Ruben Amorim mentioned the complete context was vital relating to Onana’s quotes about Lyon and performed down the affect the trade of phrases would have on Thursday’s sport.

“Tomorrow it will not matter. It will not matter,” Amorim mentioned. “If you see the full quote of Onana it is quite different. The first sentence is very very routine. Sometimes the players or coaches don’t listen to the full quote, and sometimes there’s a misunderstanding.

“I know Matic also, he is a great guy, so tomorrow is going to be a normal game.”

He continued: “It’s really hard to deal with that, that’s for sure. If you look at the quotes (from Onana) you cannot see disrespect there. Just respect but trying to be confident and try to show confidence in his team.

“Especially in this year. Everybody can talk bad things about Manchester United this year. Sometimes our group as players and coaches it has to do short term confidence in our team.

“So I think that’s all. Again, I know Matic really well and what a good guy he is. He hears something by half. Not the whole story. That for me is clear in this situation.”

Onana, who joined United from Inter in 2023, has made 93 first-team appearances for the English aspect and gained final season’s FA Cup.

The Cameroon worldwide has conceded 41 targets in 31 Premier League video games this season, the eighth most of goalkeepers within the division. The 29-year-old has additionally conceded ten targets in eight Europa League video games this marketing campaign, protecting only one clear sheet.

United play Lyon in France on Thursday, with the return leg at Previous Trafford on April 17.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Photographs)