Former Inter goalkeeper and present Manchester United no.1 Andre Onana has defined how Milan’s rival stopper Mike Maignan helped spur him on in San Siro, explaining that the Frenchman’s efficiency in a derby between the 2 sides helped dislodge Samir Handanovic and provides the Cameroonian his first run of video games underneath Simone Inzaghi.
Onana performed for only one season with Inter, in 2022-23, however off the again of his performances, which helped the Nerazzurri on their journey to the Champions League ultimate that marketing campaign.
Onana was not the first-choice goalkeeper when he arrived at Inter on the finish of his time with Dutch giants Ajax, although. Lengthy-term Nerazzurri servant Samir Handanovic, who was the captain on the time, was nonetheless Inzaghi’s no.1.
Onana believes that Milan’s Maignan helped flip that state of affairs round although.
Talking on the , Onana had nothing however optimistic issues to say about his rival goalkeeper in Milan.
“He’s an excellent goalkeeper and an excellent individual, somebody I admire loads,” he defined.
“We’ve loved taking part in towards one another a number of occasions, in Italy, within the Champions League. I’d heard about him, he’d heard about me, and I’d all the time say to myself: ‘Okay, there’s some critical competitors’.
“We’ve got to go on the market and take one another out, as a result of we overlook the whole lot else on the pitch. If he has kicking recreation, I’ve to indicate that I’m higher. If he makes save, I’ve to indicate that I’m higher.”
How Maignan helped Onana change into Inter’s no.1
Onana defined why he felt ‘conflicted’ when he first joined Inter.
“The perfect matches have been once I arrived at Inter. Mike Maignan was the guardian for our rivals. He gained the Scudetto, he was the champion of Italy, the perfect goalkeeper in Italy. Me, I arrived at Inter and Simone Inzaghi stated: ‘Samir Handanovic will likely be my goalkeeper’,
“I arrived and I already felt conflicted, s***. I arrived as a quantity two.”
Onana went on to pin-point the precise second that issues began to show round for him at Inter. He means that Maignan’s efficiency in a Derby della Madonnina in September 2023 helped him change into a starter in San Siro.
“Mike, not directly, he made me a starter. We performed the derby, Milan-Inter, and I’m on the bench. From the beginning of the season we didn’t win sufficient, it was a bit tough. Simone Inzaghi wasn’t completely satisfied, it was a bit adverse, after which we performed towards Milan. We misplaced 3-2, and Samir Handanovic didn’t play an excellent recreation, however Mike Maignan was large, and my teammates have been already beginning to push: ‘We’ve got to let him play’, so it was this match.
“We wished to see who was finest, who’s the King of Milan. And from there, I began to play within the Champions League. I performed towards Bayern, it went nicely, I performed towards Barcelona.”
Onana performed the complete 90 minutes in each one in all Inter’s Champions League matches that season, going unbeaten in 10 out of 13 performances, solely dropping to Bayern Munich within the group phases, after which Manchester Metropolis within the eventual ultimate in Istanbul.
He additionally went on to safe the no.1 spot in Serie A as nicely, taking part in 14 consecutive matches between October and February, plus one other 10 begins within the league then as nicely.