Rio Ferdinand has praised Andre Onana for his ‘brilliant’ performance against Manchester City on Sunday.
The Red Devils looked on course for a surprising derby win after Marcus Rashford struck a sensational early goal.
But City came from behind to seal an excellent home win after a brace from Phil Foden and Erling Braut Haaland’s late finish.
Onana has faced plenty of criticism after arriving at Old Trafford last summer, but he was at the top of his game against the Citizens.
Pep Guardiola’s side launched a series of attacks after falling behind, but Onana made several excellent saves to keep the scoreline 1-0 until half-time.
The Cameroonian denied Foden when he ran through one-on-one early on before he tipped away Rodri’s exceptional right-footed strike for a corner.
Rashford received the plaudits for his 25-yard piledriver, but it all started with Onana’s superb long pass to captain Bruno Fernandes.
Rio Ferdinand later showered praise on the 27-year-old goalkeeper on his YouTube channel, saying he ‘was brilliant all game’.
“Marcus Rashford goes up the other end,” he said. “Onana with a great kick. Onana, I thought was brilliant all game to be fair to him. Played the ball forward, one ball over the top.
“I have to say, I’ve said this numerous times, the only way you’re going to beat City, I think, you can’t go toe to toe with them. And we tried that before, we got beat, smashed off the park before.
“The manager was humble enough to say we’re going to have to sit on the back foot a little bit, have a low block, and try and hit them on the counter. They did that – the goal was a good example.”
A considerable turnaround for Onana
Onana joined United last summer in a £43.8 million deal from Inter Milan.
He endured a challenging first few months after making several high-profile mistakes in the Champions League.
However, he has stepped up his game to deliver improved performances.
Onana has helped United keep seven clean sheets in 27 Premier League outings this season.
This is reasonably impressive considering the Red Devils’ defence doesn’t offer him much protection.
