Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has insisted that "a misunderstanding" has been the main factor behind the war of words which has erupted between Andre Onana and Nemanja Matic.
Following Sunday's Manchester derby between Man United and Manchester City, Red Devils goalkeeper Onana gave his opinion on his team's upcoming Europa League quarter-final against Lyon, with the first leg taking place in France on Thursday night.
The Cameroonian said that his side "are way better" than Lyon and should progress to the next stage, which led to Matic branding Onana "one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history".
"It's a very good team," Onana told reporters. "We know some of them but I don't think we have to focus on them. It's more about us, what we're going to do.
"I think we are better than them, we just have to go there and show who we are. If we go there with a winning mentality and we are focused, stay compact and together and we follow the game plan we will be winning the game.
"Of course, it's not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them. 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."
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Onana is engaged in a war of words with Matic
Matic told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon: "I don't know... to say that, you need to have cover for something like that. I respect everyone but to say that, then you need to get the answer.
"If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history, you need to take care of what you're talking about. If David de Gea or Peter Schmeichel, (Edwin) Van der Sar said that, then I will question myself. But if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United's modern history, then he needs to show that, before he says. We will see."
Onana hit back on social media on Wednesday, writing on his official X account: "I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent.
"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."
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Lyon, Man United will clash in the Europa League on Thursday night
Amorim was asked about the situation during his own press conference to preview the clash between Lyon and Man United, and the Portuguese insisted that the whole situation had stemmed from "a misunderstanding".
The Red Devils head coach also revealed that Onana would start despite the return to fitness of Altay Bayindir.
"We will see. Tomorrow, [Andre] Onana is going to play. Altay [Bayindir] is returning now. We have two top goalkeepers that are ready to play," the Man United head coach told reporters.
"If you see the full quote of Andre Onana, it is quite different. The first sentence is that 'Lyon is a very, very good team'. Sometimes the players don't listen to the full quotes and it is just a misunderstanding. I know [Nemanja] Matic also, he is a great guy, so tomorrow is going to be a normal game.
"Again, if you look to all the quotes, you cannot see disrespect there, just respect. But to show confidence to his team. Everyone talks about bad things about Manchester United this year. Someone has to show some confidence in our team. I know Nemanja Matic really well and how good a guy he is. I think he has heard things by half."
Onana has represented Man United since 2023, making 93 appearances for the club, winning the FA Cup in the process, while Matic played for the Red Devils between 2017 and 2022, failing to win a trophy during his time at Old Trafford.
Matt Law
