Man Utd star Andre Onana explains why he won't publicly back Erik ten Hag

Andre Onana insists he is ‘not here to back’ Erik ten Hag (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana says ‘football is temporary’ and has explained why he will not publicly back manager Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag’s future is up in the air with former Chelsea boss Graham Potter strongly linked to the role due to his connections with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth.

Ratcliffe became United’s new minority owner this season and took over the club’s football operations but hasn’t thrown his public backing behind Ten Hag.

United’s players believe Ten Hag has already accepted his fate and will be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season.

Onana feels the Dutchman is a top manager but says he will not publicly endorse him because Ten Hag is ‘already big enough to back himself’.

‘Football doesn’t have a memory,’ Onana told Sky Sports. ‘You deliver good today and yesterday, tomorrow you don’t deliver good and they are always going to remember what you did last. And unfortunately, you can’t change that.

‘Erik is a very good manager. I’m not here to back him because he’s already big enough to back himself.

Erik ten Hag is ‘big enough to back himself’, says Andre Onana (Picture: Getty)

‘He did great things for United last season. But this is football and I always say football is temporary.’

Meanwhile, Onana has thanked two of his United teammates – Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton – for helping him through a difficult spell earlier in the season.

‘We are in this together,’ Onana added. ‘I want to thank Tom, Altay [as well as goalkeeping coaches] Richard [Hartis] and Craig [Mawson].

‘It’s been a difficult time, a difficult situation, a difficult start for me. We have to protect each other, especially when things are not going good.

‘They were there with me. [They said] take your time. Most of the keepers who have been here at Manchester United had difficulty in the beginning.’

Onana has also shared his favourite United moment so far – which came after the FA Cup quarter-final win against Liverpool. ‘It was crazy,’ he said. ‘I was in shock. It was just beautiful to be there. The noise, it was so loud. The joy… wow!’

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