Liverpool star Alisson makes claim about Manchester United counterpart Andre Onana ahead of PL fixture

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has leaped to the defense of Manchester United's Andre Onana, insisting it's only a matter of time before the Cameroon international comes good.

Manchester United signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan over the summer for a reported transfer fee of £43.8 million. Despite being tipped to replace club legend David de Gea, Onana has struggled so far this season. He has conceded 39 goals in 24 appearances across competitions, keeping just seven clean sheets in the process.

In addition, the 27-year-old has been guilty of making high-profile errors against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League. This inadvertently resulted in Manchester United finishing last in their group, leading to their elimination from the competition.

Onana's performances have led to many fans calling for him to be dropped for Altay Bayindir, who also arrived in the summer from Fenerbahce. However, Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson defended his rival ahead of their Premier League clash on Sunday. The Brazilian said (via Daily Express):

“Onana is of course a really good goalkeeper. The Champions League he played last season was amazing, the way he performed. But in my career I went through something similar to what he is living."

“Coming from an Italian club to England, to a big club, for a lot of money. This is a lot of responsibility over your shoulders and he came here with the responsibility to be the replacement for De Gea, who maybe was not in the best shape of his career but he was still delivering."

He added:

“He delivered so many good things for Manchester United and so many appearances for Manchester United and [to replace that] is a big step in your career. I think he is capable of this responsibility, but sometimes it takes longer with some than others."

"You are changing team, you are changing league, they are trying to adapt and discover themselves and that can affect you a lot.”

Alisson referenced his own situation when he joined the Merseysiders from AS Roma back in 2018, saying:

“I was lucky in that I was coming to a team that was with everything already going in a different way, that was building, so I think he will get there."

"He needs to be patient, he needs to do that with everything that is going on in his life in the best way that he can. And I think he is someone who in this moment needs the support of everybody.”

Alisson has been in sensational form this season, keeping five clean sheets in 15 league appearances, and will be aiming to keep his sixth against the Red Devils. Liverpool face Manchester United in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday, December 17.

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag addresses Rasmus Hojlund's PL goal drought ahead of Liverpool clash

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag recently defended Rasmus Hojlund, saying it's only a matter of time before he scores in the Premier League. The 20-year-old has yet to score in 12 Premier League appearances and will have his work cut out for him to score against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Red Devils signed Hojlund for a reported transfer sum of £64 million from Atalanta over the summer. The Denmark international has scored five goals in six Champions League games but has yet to score in 14 games in total in other competitions.

During the Liverpool pre-match press conference, Ten Hag said (via @centredevils):

"As you've said, he's scored in the highest level in the Champions League with five goals. That's a huge performance from a young player and you see he has the potential. I'm sure he will get there and score in the Premier League. I see how he works in training."

Erik ten Hag and Co. are currently sixth in the Premier League standings with 27 points from 16 games, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool.