Rio Ferdinand backs Manchester United star amid Paul Scholes concerns

Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes share differing opinions when it comes to Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Being a first-choice keeper at Manchester United comes with huge responsibilities. Most who try fail and only few fans can remember them as true greats.

Onana had a difficult start to life at United but began to turn things around towards the end of the season. Particularly after he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Scholes recently admitted he was ‘worried to death’ about Onana, but Ferdinand believes Onana can come good if he has the right players around him who are more comfortable with Erik ten Hag’s tactics.

“I still worry about the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is a big concern for me,” Scholes said on The Overlap. “Even in pre-season with some of the goals he conceded. I worry to death about him.”

During a Twitter Q&A, Ferdinand came out in defence of Onana, saying: “I think Onan can be the right one for us. It was a difficult season last season, conceding a lot of goals, not just him but as a team.

“But I think he has to have defenders that are willing to receive the ball, that want to receive the ball, that get into the right positions to receive the ball. In positions but also body shape, facing the right way to receive the ball.

“If they do that, then we have a chance to really play out and become a better team when we’re playing out, especially from restarts.

“So yeah, he can be, but I think other things have to work in order for him to be the best that he can be – the goalkeeper that I saw at Ajax and Inter Milan.”

De Ligt vs Branthwaite #AskRio #AMA https://t.co/bWqDlm8DJa pic.twitter.com/Gh7u4xCNhc

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) August 14, 2024

United have helped Onana by securing deals for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazaroui, who previously played with the Cameroonian shot-stopper at Ajax.

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