France - Before the Man Utd - Lyon match in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals today, goalkeeper Andre Onana had a fierce argument with midfielder Nemanja Matic.
The 0-0 draw with Man City in Round 31 last weekend was Onana's ninth clean sheet in the Premier League this season. After the match, the Cameroonian goalkeeper showed confidence, declaring in a press conference that Man Utd were stronger than Lyon and would win if they played to their best form. "Lyon is a good club. We know some of their players, but we don't think we have to focus on them. What matters is what we do," said Onana. "If we go there with a winning mentality, focused, united and following the game plan, we will win. Of course, it won't be easy, but I think Man Utd are much stronger than Lyon."
At a press conference ahead of the first leg of the quarter-finals at Lyon today, Matic objected when asked about Onana's statement. "If David De Gea, Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar said that, I would question myself. But if you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd's history, you have to be careful with what you say. You need to play well before saying things like that," said the Serbian midfielder.
Matic played for Chelsea in two periods, most notably in 2014-2017 when they won two Premier League titles. In the summer of 2017, the Serbian midfielder moved to Man Utd and stayed for 5 years, under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He scored four goals in 189 games, but did not win any titles. After that, Matic played for Roma, Rennes and now plays for Lyon.
On his personal page, Onana responded to Matic by focusing on his colleague's failure to win any titles while playing for Man Utd. "I would never disrespect another club," the 29-year-old goalkeeper wrote. "We know Lyon is a strong club and are focused on preparing to put on a performance that will make the fans proud. At least I have lifted titles with the greatest club in the world. Some people don't have that."
The last time Man Utd and Lyon met was in the 2008 Champions League round of 16. In the first leg in France, Karim Benzema opened the scoring, then Carlos Tevez equalized 1-1. In the second leg in England, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal to send Man Utd into the quarter-finals, then won the championship.
Onana was born in 1996, grew up in the Barca youth team, then played for Inter Milan and then moved to Man Utd. He is a modern goalkeeper, with good passing ability with his feet. The 29-year-old goalkeeper has played 92 matches for Man Utd, conceded 137 goals, kept 23 clean sheets and won the FA Cup in the 2023-2024 season.