Onana says he will ‘shine’ after early struggles at Man Utd

Manchester United’s Cameroonian goalkeeper #24 Andre Onana (L) reacts as Fulham’s Nigerian midfielder #22 Alex Iwobi (C) celebrates scoring the team’s second goal with Fulham’s Brazilian striker #19 Rodrigo Muniz during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on February 24, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) /

Andre Onana believes he has turned the corner off the pitch after enduring a “difficult time” mentally during the early months of his life at Manchester United.

The Cameroon international joined the club from Inter Milan in July in a £47.2 million ($60 million) deal, but a string of costly errors put him under huge pressure.

Onana, 27, said it had been tough to adjust to life in Britain.

“It took me six months or seven months not to play good, just to feel good,” he said.

“It was a difficult time for me. Now I’m feeling a bit better because everything was new. It was difficult for me to feel at home because of so many reasons, a new country.

“But now I’m feeling good. I don’t want to talk about my performance because I know the goalkeeper I am and I have done much more than what I just did.

“So, for me, the most important thing is to be set, to be happy and I will shine.”

Onana spoke openly about his challenging start to life in Britain ahead of United’s match against Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.

The goalkeeper’s errors during United’s short-lived Champions League campaign were costly but his performances have since improved markedly and he believes he is now on an upward curve.

“I think I had a turning point, but not on the pitch because, like I said, more mental because everything was different,” he said.

“Of