Andre Onana believes Manchester United can cause a Wembley upset (Picture: Getty)
Andre Onana has backed ‘killer’ Marcus Rashford to put a difficult week behind him as Manchester United look to upset Premier League champions Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Rashford was left out of Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man England squad for Euro 2024 earlier this week but will attempt to put the snub to one side when he walks out at Wembley on Saturday.
Despite flattering to deceive this season, Manchester United have the chance to end the campaign by lifting the FA Cup as they prepare to face local rivals Manchester City.
An unexpected victory over Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions would see United secure a second trophy under Erik ten Hag, whose future has been and continues to be the subject of intense scrutiny.
But standing in Manchester United’s way is a Manchester City side who clinched a record-breaking fourth league title last week and want to become the first team to claim back-to-back domestic doubles.
Onana is confident the Red Devils can ‘make things difficult’ for Man City, though, and has backed ‘killer’ Rashford to return to form at Wembley.
Rashford has underwhelmed this season, scoring just nine goals in 49 appearances in all competitions, hence his omission from England’s latest squad.
Marcus Rashford has largely struggled this season (Picture: Getty)
‘How many goals did Marcus Rashford score last season? How many goals did he score this season? We’re talking about the same player,’ Onana said as he leapt to Rashford’s defence.
‘So last season he was a good player and this season he’s a bad player? No, it’s just a moment. You can have a bad season or a bad start but the most important thing is how you end.
‘Rashford, for me, is one of the best players in the world, but he’s facing difficulty like all of us right now.
‘But he will come back, I know my killer will score some goals, some important goals, hopefully on Saturday he scores two and we win the FA Cup!’
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It is difficult to envisage Manchester United preventing Manchester City from securing more silverware but Onana is hopeful.
The Old Trafford goalkeeper added: ‘It’s not about what people think, it’s about us. This game is going to depend on what we do on the pitch.
‘If you face City thinking you’re not going to win you may as well not step onto the pitch. We know they are very good but we need to prepare and try to counter them and make the game difficult for them.
‘It’s a big challenge, this is the best team in the world at the moment.’
Erik ten Hag is fighting to save his job at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)
Onana also dismissed the suggestion that Manchester United would have had a ‘successful’ season if they put their poor league form to one side and win the FA Cup.
United recorded their lowest-ever Premier League finish this term, winning less than half of their league games to slip a staggering 31 points behind Man City.
‘It would make things look better because it’s important to end the season well and get into Europe,’ Onana said. ‘We know how important that is.
‘I wouldn’t say it would be a successful season because we want more – I don’t think just winning the FA Cup is enough because we’re used to playing Champions Leagues.’
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