Rio Ferdinand has praised Andre Onana for doing something he occasionally 'refused' to do while at Manchester United.
Onana, 27, has endured a difficult start to life at United and now finds himself under huge pressure after a disappointing performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Cameroon international was at fault for Bayern's first goal in a 4-3 win for the Bundesliga side, allowing Leroy Sane's tame shot to slip under his body.
Onana's teammate Sergio Reguilon struggled to hide his frustration with the former Inter Milan goalkeeper after the incident. Onana went on to concede three further goals and has now let in 14 in his first six games with the Red Devils.
He accepted responsibility for Bayern's opening goal in his post-match interview, which he requested to do after the loss.
"It's difficult to lose this way. In the beginning we started well and after my mistake, we lost control of the game. It's a difficult situation for me especially because I'm the one who let the team down," Onana told CBS Sports.
"The team were good. Because of me, we didn't win this game. I'm happy with the work of the team, we just have to move on. This is the life of the goalkeeper, if we didn't win today it's because of me."We were good on the ball, their first shot on target I made a mistake. The team went down because of that mistake. I have to learn from it and be strong. It's not an easy situation but I'm happy for the comeback of the team, we were strong until the end. I have a lot to prove.
"To be honest, my start in Manchester is not how I want it. Playing how I played today... it's one of my worst games. It's difficult because we have big ambitions and this was a big opportunity for us to bounce back. It's tough. We have to stick together and continue working hard and learn from our mistakes."
After the match, TNT Sports pundit and former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand praised Onana for his comments.
"I respect that. I've lost games and made mistakes and refused to speak to the media at times. That showed good character and showed he's made of the right stuff," said Ferdinand.
Onana will hope to bounce back quickly when United return to Premier League action against Burnley on Saturday.
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