A “misunderstanding” is what Ruben Amorim claims caused the altercation between Lyon’s Nemanja Matic and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana prior to their quarterfinal Europa League match.
Amorim’s team knows that the competition is their only chance to win a trophy and qualify for the continental tournament, so they travel to the Groupama Stadium for the first leg of this match that could make or break their chances.
Onana was called “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd’s history” by former United midfielder Matic after the Cameroon international expressed his belief that United is “way better” than Lyon.
Following Matic’s astounding remarks, Onana made a scathing post on X, pointing out that United failed to win a trophy during the midfielder’s five seasons at Old Trafford.
At United’s pre-game press conference, where Matic’s former Benfica teammate Amorim tried to defuse the situation and offer some background, the tete-a-tete was a major topic of conversation.
“It won’t matter tomorrow [Thursday],” the head coach declared. “Andre Onana’s quote is very different when you read it in its entirety.
“The first sentence is Lyon is a very, very good team, so I think sometimes the players or coaches don’t listen to the full quotes.
“Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding and I know Matic also. He’s a great guy. It is going to be a normal game.”
Despite Altay Bayindir’s return to fitness, Amorim stated that Onana will start at Lyon. He thinks the 29-year-old, who was signed from Inter Milan in 2023, will feel uneasy about the controversy surrounding his remarks.
He remarked, “It’s really hard to deal with that,”
“That’s certain. Once more, it is impossible to detect disrespect in the quotes. Just showing respect while attempting to instill confidence in his team, particularly this year.
“So, everybody can talk bad things about Manchester United. Sometimes our group as a player, as a coach, as a staff, has to show some confidence in our team. I think that’s all.
“Again, I know really well Nemanja Matic and how good a guy he is. He hears some things by half, not the whole story. That for me is clear in this situation.”
After maintaining his ninth Premier League clean sheet of the season in Sunday’s dull derby draw with Manchester City, Onana was in a confident mood when he addressed the media.
He responded, “It’s a very good team,” when asked about Lyon prior to Thursday’s first leg of the quarterfinal. I don’t think we need to concentrate on them, even though we are aware of some of them. What we’re going to do is more important.
“I believe we are superior to them; all we need to do is go there and prove ourselves. We will win the game if we approach it with a winning mindset, remain focused, remain small and cohesive, and adhere to the game plan.
“Of course, it’s not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them. We all know the importance of this game, we will go there with the winning mentality, it’s not our best season but we still have something to win and we will go for it.”
Simon, the sky sport reporter who had questioned Onana about his expectations for Lyon in the mixed zone on Sunday, naturally wanted to know Matic’s answer.
The midfielder was supposed to just state, “We want to prove him wrong on the pitch.” Rather, Matic took a cue from Jose Mourinho’s strategy and gave his former manager a standing ovation.
Before he uttered a word, his face hinted at what was to come. Matic began responding to the query. “You need to have cover for something like that in order to say that.” He then asked Simon, “Onana?,” before puffing his cheeks in a tone that cried out, “seriously?”
“When you are among the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history, you need to be careful about what you’re talking about,” said the knockout shortly after. I will doubt myself if De Gea, Peter Schmeichel, or Van der Sar say that, but you should come first before you say that when you are statistically among the worst goalkeepers in United’s recent history.”
Matic went in studs up, two-footed, and off the ground without flinching. I was later informed that the Lyon team was already familiar with the quote and that it was inspiring them in the dressing room.
The last line of Onana’s response, which was posted on X, was a zinger.
His Sunday quote wasn’t disrespectful; rather, it was overly upbeat and optimistic before a big game. But he made a spicy social media post.
Will the game be as exciting, and can he support it on the field?
I’ll be picking my jaw up off the ground until we find out.