Andre Onana kept a clean sheet as Man Utd beat Fulham on Friday (Picture: Getty)
Tim Howard says he is ‘utterly shocked’ by a strange confession from Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Onana helped United to a winning start on Friday as the Red Devils defeated Fulham 1-0 in their opening Premier League match of the new 2024-25 season.
But the Cameroonian made headlines ahead of the game when he publicly warned the club’s fans that he was going to ‘take a lot of risks’ this term.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Howard has been left confused by Onana’s remarks and told NBC Sports: ‘I’m rarely surprised at things in football.
‘[But] I was utterly shocked to hear Onana say ‘be prepared I will take a lot more risks this season’.
‘He conceded 58 goals, that number has to come down, he can ill-afford to make too many mistakes.
‘Some of the goals that went past him were very, very saveable. The fact he’s willing to take more risks I guess is exciting and compelling, I wasn’t convinced last year, but right now he has a lot to prove.
Andre Onana made some unusual comments before Friday’s game (Picture: Getty)
‘He has brilliant ability but he hasn’t put that into place and too many goals are going in that need to be saved.’
United goalkeeper Onana, quizzed about his risky approach before the win over Fulham, said: ‘That’s me.
‘And I think it’s what you’re gonna see this season because I will take a lot of risks. I can tell you in advance already! Be prepared because it’s gonna be this season, trust me! I will enjoy it even more when this season starts.’
United are back in action on Saturday as they face a trip to the south coast to take on Brighton.
The Seagulls produced a brilliant 3-0 win at Everton in their first game of the season and will be full of confidence for the clash against Erik ten Hag’s side.
Brighton are under fresh management after 31-year-old Fabian Hürzeler arrived in June as he became the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history.
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