Rúben Amorim has played down the heated exchange between André Onana and Nemanja Matić, insisting it won’t impact Thursday’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final between Olympique Lyonnais and Manchester United.
The Red Devils travel to France for the first leg, but pre-match discussions have been overshadowed by Matić’s sharp response to Onana’s comments. Earlier this week, Onana claimed United were “far superior” to Lyon—prompting Matić to fire back, suggesting the goalkeeper should “watch his words” given his struggles this season.
“If it were [Edwin] van der Sar, [Peter] Schmeichel, or [David] De Gea saying that, I’d reconsider,” Matić remarked. “But when you’re among the worst-performing goalkeepers in the club’s history, you need credibility to make such statements.”
However, Amorim downplayed the tension, clarifying that Onana’s remarks were taken out of context. “If you read his full statement, there’s no disrespect—just belief in his team,” the Lyon manager explained in his pre-match press conference. “Players sometimes react to headlines, not the actual quotes. It’s just a misunderstanding.”
He also defended Matić, calling him “a great person,” and emphasized that the focus should remain on the match. “This season, everyone has criticized Manchester United—someone has to back their own team,” Amorim added. “I know Nemanja well; he likely only heard part of what was said.”
The highly anticipated clash between Lyon and Manchester United kicks off on Thursday in the Europa League quarter-finals.
