Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has branded Harry Maguire an inspiration after the centre-back turned his season around despite receiving criticism.
Maguire looked likely to leave the club last summer but stayed to fight for his place. Onana believes he deserves credit for digging deep in times of adversity.
He told Gary Neville on The Overlap: “If things and when things are going wrong, don’t go for the youngest player.
“I’m here to take it, Bruno [Fernandes], Casemiro and Harry are there, and we are used to it.
“I’ll tell you a small example. I have Harry in the dressing room. When you see what he went through.
“What Harry faced was terrifying. He’s a big man, he showed a lot of character – now he’s back and he’s one of the best we have.
“It’s important to look at this example because he passed through a difficult situation. Now he’s back and we move forward.”
“The first six months were difficult, but at the same time, it was a good moment to learn.
“After playing the final of the Champions League and the final of the Europa League, you think you are the best – life gives you an opportunity to learn, and says ‘you are never too big’.”
Andre Onana must learn from his mistakes
It has been a challenging debut season for Onana with United.
He made several costly errors, particularly in the Champions League group stage.
His blunders were a major cause of United’s early exit from the competition.
Over the last few months, he has performed well which has boosted his confidence.
Maguire has done exceedingly well this season, especially after being stripped of the captaincy.
His decision to stay at United earlier looked questionable. However, the €20 million-rated defender has redeemed himself with some robust performances.
Onana must take inspiration from the England international after facing criticism in the first half of the campaign.
Goalkeeping is a tough job and every mistake is heavily scrutinised. Replacing David De Gea was never going to be easy.
United fans will hope that Onana does not start next season as slowly as he did this term.
He will hope to end this campaign with silverware when United face Manchester City in the FA Cup final this weekend.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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