Rio Ferdinand has called on the current group of players to come together around Andre Onana, nearly 13 years after David De Gea found it difficult to adjust to life at Manchester United.

Rio Ferdinand, a veteran of Manchester United, believes that the senior players of the team should support Andre Onana, the struggling goalie, in the same way that he and his teammates did with David De Gea.

After paying £47.2 million to buy the Cameroonian goalkeeper from Inter Milan, Erik ten Hag’s team has faced a challenging start to life at Old Trafford. In his two Champions League losses to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, he has already committed well-publicized mistakes that turned out to be crucial.

His initial tenure at United has been likened to that of his predecessor, David De Gea, who similarly committed numerous egregious mistakes in his inaugural season before emerging as one of their most exceptional goalkeepers. But Ferdinand, who is currently a TNT Sports analyst, thinks Onana can overcome this phase just like the Spaniard did if he receives the proper encouragement from his teammates and manager.

Speaking on behalf of TNT Sports, the exclusive home of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League, Ferdinand was asked if the players at United came together to support De Gea during his tough times. He responded, “Yeah, I think that’s why probably me and David have still got a relationship now because I think those moments there, it’s about the experienced players making the young ones feel confident.”

It’s basically reassuring them when they’re playing well. It’s not appropriate to chastise them for mistakes they make. There will be instances when you must chastise someone in such manner. But you have to play cunning around those situations when you know they’re young and vulnerable, as David was.

“I think it’s important that he didn’t like to be talked to for extended periods of time; he wanted to feel that his teammates were confident. It’s almost as if your teammates believe in you, and you can disregard what others have to say because you know that the people who mean most to you and are in your immediate vicinity think highly of you.

“I believe that’s what the Man United players, the more seasoned players, need to unite around right now.” The fact that Onana came with a lot more experience than De Gea is the only distinction between the circumstances of the two United goalkeepers. Along with playing in the Champions League final with Inter Milan, he had three Eredivisie titles with Ajax, two Dutch Cups, and a Serie A title in his trophy cabinet.

Ferdinand thinks Onana already has the fortitude to play and save his way out of the situation he finds himself in, even though the success is undeniable. “To be fair, he [Onana] seems like quite a confident kid,” Ferdinand continued. “I’ve had a few conversations with him prior to the Burnley game, particularly on the field.

“It’s okay to make errors; he came across as confident. He is aware of that, but we also need to keep in mind that he is not a goalie who has never experienced these kinds of situations. He has made mistakes in the past but has bounced back to play in the Champions League final for Milan and the semi-final for Ajax.

He has the experience of failing, getting back up, and trying again. Speaking with the people there, I believe he is made of the right stuff, and that’s what they discuss. It’s evident he possesses the necessary character to ride something like this.