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Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana heaped praise on teammate Marcus Rashford after the Englishman ended his seven-month goal drought during the Red Devils' 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday (September 14). The Englishman has been facing massive criticism from pundits and fans alike for his recent mediocre and out-of-form performances.
Ten Hag's side returned to form after Matthijs De Ligt opened the scoring for United with a header in the 35th minute. De Ligt's header was followed by Rashford doubling the side's lead in the 41st minute.
Finally, Alejandro Garnacho sealed the three points, scoring the third goal of the night during stoppage time (90+6'). Goalkeeper Andre Onana also maintained exceptional form tonight, after saving a crucial penalty kick from Cameron Archer.
Speaking to TNT Sports in a post-match interview, Onana heaped praises on Marcus Rashford for his performance, saying:
"[Rashford] had a tough season last year. He was not on his best, but today, he showed he's one of the best in the world. But that's football, that's life, sometimes you struggle and face difficulties. But it's not how you fall, it's how many times you stand up."
He continued:
"And today, he's come back again and scored a great goal, an important goal for us. Hopefully, he'll score more for us and I'm really happy for him. He needed a goal and hopefully, he'll score more."
Marcus Rashford had last found the net for Manchester United against Liverpool during their 4-3 victory in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on March 17. His goal tonight came after a drought of 189 days.
Andre Onana addresses Manchester United's injury concerns
Speaking to TNT Sports, goalkeeper Andre Onana said he hoped Manchester United would not be plagued by injuries this term after many of their starters remained unavailable for the majority of last season.
In tonight's game against Southampton, three of their starting defenders, including Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Lisandro Martinez had to be substituted off due to injuries. He said:
"It's not always easy when we change the back four but sometimes, we have to be pragmatic. We can't control injuries and other things, so we have to deal with the situation. If Casemiro has to play centre-back, I will have to deal with the situation."
The Manchester United goalkeeper also mentioned captain Bruno Fernandes not being at his best as a centre-back and added:
"Sometimes we have games where Bruno [Fernandes] is centre-back and he's not the best there [laughs], it's what the team needs at that time and we do our best. Hopefully, we will have fewer injuries this season."
Manchester United will next face Crystal Palace in an away fixture in the Premier League on September 21. The Red Devils recorded two wins and two losses in their first four league fixtures and are ninth in the table with six points so far.
