Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has urged Andre Onana to get his act together in order to finally get going at his new club.
Onana has endured an extremely tough start to life at United following his summer move from Inter Milan.
The Cameroonian has committed a number of high-profile errors that have cost United, especially in the Champions League.
His most recent howler came during his side’s 2-1 comeback win against Brentford just before the international break when he let a tame effort from Mathias Jensen squirm past him.
Onana got a hand to it but was not strong enough. Luckily for him, Scott McTominay’s late heroics spared him the blushes as United clinched all three points in dramatic fashion.
Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand gave his thoughts on Onana’s troubles and compared his situation to his own performance for England against Greece in 2001.
The defender recalled that he was poor, but David Beckham’s late free-kick secured a draw for the Three Lions.
Ferdinand said, “I saw a bit of myself, I didn’t play well when England drew against Greece when David Beckham scored that free-kick [to secure World Cup 2002 qualification].
“I remember celebrating with Becks and thanking him. I saw a bit of that in Onana. When you make a mistake. I could sense the relief that he had.”
“He should have made the save. In training, he probably makes that save every day.
“I saw a quote from Peter Schmeichel, who spoke to him and told him not to let [the pressure of] Man Utd get to you. At the moment, there are nerves that are in there, because of the mistakes.”
Ferdinand added, “A lot of people are asking if he can recover. I was there when De Gea came. He was obviously younger but he didn’t start well, you know. I think in his first 10 games or so, the numbers are similar to Onana.”
“If you were to speak to Onana himself, I think he would say, ‘This is not the start I wanted, this is no way near the level I am used to performing at and this is not the standard required at Man Utd so I need to buck up my ideas’”
The former United defender also took time to praise the impact of McTominay not only on the game against Brentford but also for how he has behaved even in the face of extremely limited minutes under Ten Hag.
Ferdinand explained that the manager knows he can rely on the Scotland international when the team is in a bit of a pickle and when he needs a strong character.
The United legend noted that while McTominay should not be entirely seen as the go-to guy when the chips are down, he possesses the “Man United spirit” that can ultimately spur him to make a big difference.
The midfielder has of course come through the youth system at the club and alongside Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, is an established member of the first team.
Ferdinand also highlighted just how fitting it was that it was an academy graduate who scored in Fergie time, during a moment in which legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his loved ones are coming to terms with the unfortunate passing of Lady Cathy Ferguson.
Sir Alex’s time in the Old Trafford dugout was characterised by multiple last-minute goals which have led to numerous iconic moments over the years.