Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has leapt in support of goalkeeper Andre Onana following his abysmal performance in their 2-2 draw at Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday.
Onana was at fault for both of Lyon’s goals as the Red Devils were held to a draw in the first leg of their quarter-final clash.
The situation was made worse by the Cameroonian’s comments earlier in the week, which led to a war of words with Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic.
Onana claimed the Red Devils were “way better” than their French counterpart, a comment that sparked a heated response from Matic, with the former United man calling the 29-year-old “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history.”
The United first-choice goalie, however, did not cover himself in glory, as he fumbled a cross from a Thiago Almada free kick and pushed Georges Mikautadze’s strike into the path of Rayan Cherki, who scored on the brink of full-time to claim an equaliser for Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.
Zirkzee, who scored United’s second in the 88th minute, echoed the thoughts of manager Ruben Amorim, who claimed “one player has a mistake, all the team has a mistake” when asked about Onana’s errors during the game.
“One hundred per cent,” said Zirkzee about if Amorim’s feelings were shared by the players. “We’re one team, so we’re not going to take someone out for making mistakes. That’s ridiculous.”
“To draw in this way is always a little bit, I don’t want to say frustrating, but it hurts for it to go this way.”
United head to St. James Park to take on high-flying Newcastle United on Sunday before hosting Lyon in the second leg next week and Zirkzee believes the team has what it takes to win both games.
“We just have to focus on the next game and that’s Newcastle away and then we all know what we have to do when we face them again at home next week.
“I’m sure with the full support of the stadium, it’s going to be difficult for them and easier for us, but they’re a great team – let’s not forget that – and it’s not going to be easy, but we all want to win, we have to win, so we’ll see.”
The 13-time Premier League winners have endured one of their worst seasons in the English top-flight. They currently sit 13th in the league standings and are out of contention for any of the European competitions, with the Europa League their only chance at silverware or reaching the Champions League next season.
“We have to win it, we all know that,” Zirkzee added. “There’s no way around that. It’s the only thing we have to do.”
