Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana has branded their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League “a big disappointment.”
United led through Christian Eriksen before Youssef En-Nesyri equalised just after half-time. Onana played his part in earning a point for United with a stunning double save from En-Nesyri, but afterwards the goalkeeper insisted the dressing room was “not happy.”
“It is a big disappointment for me and the fans, for the club, as a Manchester United player you have an obligation to try to win,” Onana told TNT Sports. “We didn’t win, but at least we didn’t lose, Not happy of course, but we move on, take responsibility and go again.
“We conceded an early goal in the second half, we had to show character and I think that is what we did. We didn’t win but I thought we were better than them.”
On a sometimes chaotic night in Istanbul, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands for his protests after believing his team should have had a second-half penalty. Mourinho sought out referee Clement Turpin after the game and said the official’s explanation was “incredible.”
However, Erik ten Hag, who was missing 10 players through injury or suspension, was keen to take the positives ahead of a trip to West Ham United on Sunday.
“We’ve shown we are a team which is hard to beat,” said the Dutchman. “We can take confidence and take it into the game against West Ham.
“We have to win and we came in the position to win. We created the chances but we have to be killing more. We let the opponent get away with a point.”
United winger Antony picked up an injury late in the game after coming on as second-half substitute for Marcus Rashford. The Brazilian left the field on a stretcher and was seen leaving the stadium in a protective boot.
“His training performances are that good that he deserved to come on,” Ten Hag said. “When you have to come off so quickly, that is really sad to see. Hopefully, it’s not too bad, we have to wait 24 hours for what the assessment is.”