'It didn't work' - Andre Onana breaks silence on Erik ten Hag sacking as Man Utd goalkeeper admits to 'worried' feeling under Dutch coach

Onana won multiple Eredivisie titles under Ten Hag with the Amsterdam giants and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. But the former Ajax and Inter goalkeeper's time at Old Trafford has been hugely disappointing. Last season, United exited the Champions League at the first hurdle and then finished eighth in the Premier League, their worst showing since 1989-90. The Red Devils salvaged that dismal campaign by winning the FA Cup but have made a horrendous start to the 2024-25 campaign, with Ten Hag losing his job the day after a 2-1 defeat at West Ham last month.

"When I heard he was leaving I felt bad, it's not always easy to understand why a manager is leaving," Onana told a press conference. "I worried about him, I have a very good relationship with him. Why things didn’t work here? We didn’t win enough games, it’s simple. At a high level it’s not easy and sometimes you have to pay the price. We worked hard, tried everything and did our best but it didn’t work."

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been United's interim coach since Ten Hag was sacked but Ruben Amorim will begin work as the club's next permanent coach next week. The Portuguese, whose Sporting CP side enjoyed a stunning 4-1 win over Manchester City on Tuesday, is renowned for playing a 3-4-3 formation and Onana believes he and his team-mates are ready to adapt to suit the new coach's demands. He said: "I did watch it. Different system, my teammates we are all pragmatic, everyone here is capable of doing it, it won’t be an issue for us."

United will be searching for their first win in the Europa League this season when they take on Greek side PAOK on Thursday. The Red Devils have drawn all of their games so far, against Twente, Porto and Fenerbahce. Van Nistelrooy was asked why United had performed so badly in European competitions recently. They have not reached the Champions League quarter-finals since 2019 and were knocked out of the group stage in 2015-16, 2020-21 and last season. "It’s a big question for me to answer," said the former United striker. "For me it’s important, the reason I arrived at the club is to help build to those successful teams. There was the Europa League final with Ole, the Europa League win with Mourinho, I think there is big European successes. In that sense, Man United is always there to compete in Europe."