Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana have had a go at each other as the sides get set for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg in France.
Matic, who used to play for Manchester United, labelled Onana as ‘one of the worst goalkeepers in the club’s history’ in response to a comment by the Cameroon international.
Serbian Matic, 36, was responding to Onana’s comments about United being ‘way better’ than French club Lyon ahead of the quarter-final tie.
Onana, 29, then posted on social media, denying he was being disrespectful.
“I respect everybody,” said Matic during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
“But when you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history, you need to take care what you’re talking about.
“If it was [Edwin] Van der Sar, [Peter] Schmeichel or [David] De Gea saying that, then I would question myself.
“But you need to have cover to say something like that.”
The Europa League is the final opportunity for Ruben Amorim’s side — currently 13th in the Premier League — to save a disappointing season.
Matic made 128 appearances for the Red Devils between 2017 and 2022 while Onana signed for £47.2m from Inter Milan in 2023.
“I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent,” Onana responded in a post on X on Wednesday.
“We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud. At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”
Onana’s initial comments came after Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Manchester City, when he sounded confident despite describing Lyon as a ‘very good team’.
“Of course, it’s not going to be easy but I think we are way better than them,” Onana said.
“We all know the importance of this game, we will go there with the winning mentality. It’s not our best season but we still have something to win and we will go for it.”
