Fernandes stands by Man Utd team-mate Onana: ´We trust Andre´

Bruno Fernandes insists he and his Manchester United team-mates have full belief in Andre Onana after his mistake in the 2-1 Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen.

Rasmus Hojlund scored twice to secure all three points for the Red Devils in Thursday’s contest at Doosan Arena but not without a scare first.

Goalkeeper Onana gifted the home side the lead after 48 minutes when he passed straight to Pavel Sulc, who teed up Matej Vydra to slide home.

United captain Fernandes said there was no apportioning blame on Onana, who many felt was also at fault for Nottingham Forest’s second in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Fernandes said: “We want to play from the back. Everyone knows we have to make the right decision.

“Andre missed the pass but it’s nothing we should focus on. It’s not about Andre making a mistake, we don’t look at individuals here. It’s about all the players involved and we have huge belief in Andre.

“He knows he made a mistake, he’s a clever guy, we don’t need to tell him. He’s going to help us when playing out from the back – we trust his qualities on the ball. The most important thing is we had the resilience and fight to come back.

“It’s something we’ve been doing for a long time. We know the goalkeepers are good on the ball, they can play.

“We normally do it. It didn’t work this time but on many occasions it works. We trust Andre to keep doing the thing he thinks are best. Mistakes happen, and if mistakes happen, goals can happen.”

A late victory in Plzen #MUFC || #UEL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 12, 2024

United have played six matches under Ruben Amorim, winning three, losing two and drawing one with two of the victories coming in the Europa League.

Hojlund said more time is needed for things to come together under the Portuguese.

“We still need more time. It’s very early days. But it’s about getting things together – it’s getting under the skin now,” he said.

“We still need a lot of practice, a lot of time. We don’t have a lot of training so it’s about getting the practice in during the matches. It sounds a bit odd, but it’s the best way.”