Update: I played in goal for Man United – I know why Andre Onana is struggling News

Andre Onana is to return for Manchester United tonight when they host Lyon in the crucial second leg of their Europa League quarter-final

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes that Andre Onana’s struggles come from his lack of mental stimulation during matches.

The Cameroonian has been under the spotlight this season having struggled with inconsistency. This would come to a head for Onana last Thursday when he would make two mistakes which led to goals in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Lyon.

United had been on course to holding a one-goal advantage going into the return leg at Old Trafford but instead, the match is finely poised. To take Onana out of the limelight, Ruben Amorim chose to drop him entirely for the trip to Newcastle with Altay Bayindir making his debut instead.

The Reds would go on to lose 4-1 with Bayindir making a mistake for the fourth goal. Now, United are back at square one and Amorim has confirmed that Onana will be in goal for tonight’s clash against the Ligue 1 side.

Ahead of Onana’s return, Foster told The Football Fill-in why he feels United’s current first choice is struggling. “Onana is really struggling at this moment in time, and some of the mistakes he’s made this season, I think, have come about from… take it back to when he signed, remember when he first signed for Manchester United and he was this front-footed goalkeeper who would play 50 yards out,” the 42-year-old who made 23 appearances for the Reds recalled.

“He got scored past in a pre-season game, straight away. He signed for United and got scored past from the halfway line.

“Very quickly, he kind of went: ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna get away with this in the Premier League’, I might have to [drop back], so he’s lost that part of his game. I think a big part of Onana’s game was being busy, was being out there and being part of it.

“When you play for Manchester United, you know you’re not necessarily going to have a million things to do – well, actually, you probably will do at this moment in time. I think he needs that… being busy to keep his brain occupied.

“It’s very difficult for some goalkeepers to be able to just stop, not do anything, not touch the ball for 10-15 minutes at a time and then all of a sudden be asked to make a massive save. It’s a really big skill.

“I don’t think Onana’s got that ability. I think, when the big moments come, when the shots come, where he needs to be calm but focused at the same time, he needs that intensity but relaxed with it.

“I don’t think he’s got it, I think he panics too much, I think he stresses too much.” Onana was signed to replace mainstay David de Gea when he left in 2023.

Erik ten Hag’s rationale at the time for signing Onana was to allow the Reds to play out from the back. De Gea’s distribution was widely seen as a weakness during his time at United.

However, it became apparent that United did not have the defenders to play out from the back so Onana reverted to long balls up field instead of short passes. This season, Onana has conceded 41 goals in 31 Premier League matches.