Goalkeeper André Onana has fired back at former Manchester United player Nemanja Matić after he labelled the 29-year-old “one of the worst goalkeepers” the club has ever had.
The comment didn’t come out of nowhere, just to clarify, but still – yikes…
With Matić now playing for Olympique Lyonnais, a.k.a. Lyon, the club Man United will be facing in their season-defining Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night, the Serbian international was responding to recent comments made by Onana that the Red Devils were comfortably the stronger side.
The Cameroonian keeper said ahead of the first leg: “Of course, it’s not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them”. To which Matić had this to say…
🗣️ "If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd history, you need to take care"
Nemanja Matić has hit back at Andre Onana after the United keeper said that they are "way better" than their Europa League opponents Lyon 🔴 pic.twitter.com/jYDWgyprVG
As you can see, Ex-United midfielder Matić didn’t hold back when sharing his own thoughts on this particular member of his former club, very much calling on the ‘people in glass houses’ adage.
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Despite insisting that he “respect[s] everyone”, he did go on to add that “if you are one of the, statistically, worst goalkeepers in Man United‘s modern history then, you know, he needs to show that [he up their with the better shotstoppers] before he says [things like that].”
Onana has been a divisive figure since he replaced David de Gea, who has since gone on to enjoy a bit of a renaissance over in Serie A and has even had his contract at Fiorentina extended following several impressive performances.
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The now 36-year-old holding midfielder left Old Trafford back in 2022 after being brought to the club by Jose Mourinho; he ultimately went on to join Roma in the summer before moving to Rennes and, most recently, Lyon last year.
Having shared an Instagram story of himself simply laughing in training, Onana also decided to write a brief post addressing the situation without responding to the former Red directly.
It seems the United number one (well, technically no. 24) seemed to be suggesting that no offence was intended, but he ultimately signed off by adding his own dig: “At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”
While it is true that Matić didn’t lift win silverware during his time at Manchester United, many fans were keen to point out that he did win multiple Premier League titles and domestic cups with Chelsea.
Nevertheless, the virtual spat has made for plenty of entertainment ahead of what is a huge game for both clubs, not least of all Ruben Amorim‘s side, who are staring down one of their worst seasons on record. Safe to say a trophy would be a big tonic during a turbulent time at the club.
Whether or not it’s just a bit of harmless trash talk ahead of an extremely competitive fixture, moments like this still feel fairly few and fair between in football these days. We can’t wait to see what might happen when the two meet on the pitch.
You can see Matić’s pre-match press conference ahead of taking on his old employers in a crucial knockout tie in full down below:
A reminder that class is permanent as Kevin De Bruyne inspires remarkable Man City comeback
Danny Jones
If there was ever any doubt that Kevin De Bruyne isn’t just Manchester City’s best player but arguably the best in the Premier League full stop, then his inspiring display at the Etihad Stadium in their emphatic 5-2 comeback against Crystal Palace should have well and truly quashed those.
Man City received a rather large early shock after finding themselves two goals down after just 21 minutes on Saturday, and it looked to be a topsy-turvy day that would once again confirm they are human in what has been their least dominant season for some time.
However, the reminder that we ultimately got is that is aging, injury problems and legs not moving quite as quickly as they used to may get the better of some, but class is permanent and if Blues could pick any player slightly past his prime to get them out of a tight spot, it will be Kevin De Bruyne 11 times out 10.
The Belgian midfielder not only got he team and the crowd back in the fight with a wonderful free-kick to make it 2-1, but he also managed to grab an assist for the third goal by Mateo Kovačić, having well and truly gotten their creative juices flowing. Speaking after the game, he made the objectives clear:
A leader, armband or not. Here’s what he has to say after the game.
Leading by example and then some.
In truth, he could have had at least one more goal were it not for a strike rattling the post, as well as essentially helped carve out the equaliser from Omar Marmoush – now on six league goals for the season – and regardless of his recent fitness issues, his quality shone through as always.
The 33-year-old described himself as being relatively “pain-free” for the last year, and putting smaller issues with hamstrings and a hernia aside, he is already starting to reflect on what has been a remarkable 10 years both for the club and him personally here in Manchester.
He went on to add that winning the FA Cup would be the “perfect ending” to his time in Manchester, but who knows? Maybe they could always tie on a second FIFA Club World Cup if he’s still around by then.
As for Pep Guardiola, you only need to see the way he looked at his number 17 when he walked off the pitch to see how much he means to the side and the fans, going on to add in the post-match that not only did he obviously “change the momentum” and the game but he knows he can always “rely on him.”
In fact, Pep summed up the legacy he’s going to leave behind in just one word…
“His legacy will be eternal.” 💙
Pep Guardiola on the race for Champions League football and Kevin de Bruyne's announcement 🤝
De Bruyne confirmed he will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season after a decade that has established him as one of the very best players in the world, and it’s more than fair to say that City won’t be the same without him – we’re pretty sure neither will the league.
It doesn’t matter who you support, he won’t be playing forever, so enjoy watching it while it lasts.
You can watch the highlights from Man City’s magnificent Premier League comeback against Crystal Palace, led by the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, in full down below:
Featured Images — TNT Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
A release date for the Freddie Flintoff documentary has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The release date for the upcoming Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff documentary has been revealed, and it’s coming a lot sooner than many expected.
Simply entitled Flintoff, the documentary has been highly anticipated among UK audiences, especially given events in recent years.
Landing on Disney+ only, the film will follow his glittering cricket career as well as his return to the sport and the public after a life-altering car crash whilst filming Top Gear in 2022.
Much to our surprise, it’s all ready to go and is dropping next month.
— What’s On Disney Plus (@disneyplusnews) April 11, 2025
The Disney+ doc will run for approximately 90 minutes and follow on from his recent BBC series, Freddie Flintoff‘s Field of Dreams, which saw him start to open up about the difficult period and recovery publicly for the first time.
An eye-opening and candid show in its own right alongside the inspiring story of a teen cricket team being coached by the Lancashire and England legend, he won even more hearts when the second season launched last August.
It’s no surprise that there is a third instalment on its way next year.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time he’s been the subject of his own documentary, as the 47-year-old also released a BBC One called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, charting his personal struggles with the eating disorder and mental health even prior to the trauma of his crash.
You can see a snippet of the one-off show down below.
The Preston-born all-rounder has confessed he still suffers from PTSD following the incident, detailing struggles with anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks of the crash, insisting that it “changed my life forever.”
All that being said, we’re glad to see that he’s continued to overcome numerous obstacles and remains an extremely funny and personable figure, as well as an eternal icon of British sport that so many admire.
As for Disney’s Flintoff film, the documentary will be available exclusively on the streaming platform in the UK and Ireland from Friday, April 25.
Danny Jones -
9th April 2025 
