Manchester United legend John O'Shea has backed Andre Onana to bounce back after the goalkeeper's errors cost his team victory against Lyon, prompting some online to suggest O'Shea should be brought back to play in his place.
Former Man United and Ireland footballer O'Shea holds the rare distinction of having played in every position for his club, including a one-off stint as an emergency goalkeeper against Spurs in 2007 following an injury to Edwin Van Der Saar when the Waterford man performed admirably in the unfamiliar role.
Onana's performance followed a pre-match war of words that seen Lyon's Nemanja Matic - a former Manchester United midfielder - brand the Ivorian "one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history".
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His dual errors, both of which led to goals and ultimately cost his team a win in a match that ended 2-2 in the first leg of the Europa League knockout tie, prompted widespread derision online with some suggesting O'Shea would be a better pick in nets.
Speaking to Belfast Live at an event in Derry, where the Manchester United Foundation hosted a celebration event at Ulster University to showcase its ongoing outreach work across the city and to mark a new partnership with the International Fund for Ireland, the Republic of Ireland assistant manager backed Onana to recover from his poor performance.
Asked for his thoughts on the suggestion he'd perform better in goal, the Republic of Ireland assistant manager said: "I think that's just when you see, I suppose the social media, the instant news today. And obviously, I suppose, the comments before the game from Andre and obviously Nemanja Matic too, so everything was just built up with it. But listen, both players will know - they're very experienced - that these things can sometimes be exaggerated slightly and listen, they're two experienced players, two internationals."
He continued: "And Andre, in particular, he'll just know he'll have to bounce back like he has done before. If there has been an error in the game or something where he feels he might be able to do better, he'll concentrate and do better in the next game, that's for sure."
Asked for his thoughts on the general direction of the club under manager Ruben Amorim, who was given the top job at Manchester United in November, O'Shea said: "No, listen, I can imagine when you look at where obviously the team is on the table, there's there's lots of frustration among the fans.
"I'm sure the players are, like, they don't want to be in that part of the part of the table - but also they could be a couple of weeks away from a European final as well. So you have to have to balance that too, so that's very important. And if they get to the European final at the end of the season, it could be crucial for the club as well moving forward."
Meanwhile, former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has taken to social media to respond to coming up against his former club for the first time since leaving. The 36-year-old was an unused substitute for Lyon in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night.
His war of words with the United goalkeeper started when the United man spoke about the upcoming game against Lyon following the 0-0 draw against Manchester City last weekend.
"I think we are better than them, we just have to go there and show who we are,” he said.
During his pre-match press conference, Matic hit back at Onana. When asked about his comments, Matic said: "I don't know, to say that, you need to have cover for something like that. Onana? Pfttt.
"You know, I respect everyone, but to say that, then you need to give an 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, Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar say that, I would question myself, but if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United modern history, then he needs to show that before he says, so we will see."
That then prompted a response from Onana, who took to social media to send a message. He wrote: "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."
He included a picture of him kissing the FA Cup last season in the post.
Unfortunately for Onana, errors during the game - including for Rayan Cherki’s 95th-minute equaliser - ultimately cost his team the win. Despite not getting on the pitch, after the game, Matic took to social media to react to his current team coming up against United. There was, however, no reference to the war of words with Onana or the goalkeeper’s mistakes.
He instead posted a picture of his son Filip posing with some United shirts on his Instagram story. The shirts included two from Harry Maguire, one from Luke Shaw, one from Amad and one from goalkeeper Tom Heaton, as well as his own Lyon shirt.
Matic then posted a picture on his Instagram of him meeting six members of United’s backroom staff in the changing room after the game. He wrote the caption: “Nice to see my brothers again.”
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