"You've got to be clever around these situations" - Rio Ferdinand explains how Manchester United teammates can help Andre Onana regain form

Rio Ferdinand has highlighted what Manchester United teammates need to do to help summer signing Andre Onana regain his form following his slow start to life in England.

The Red Devils icon explained that the club's senior defenders will have to rally around the goalkeeper and boost his confidence to help him turn the corner at Old Trafford.

Andre Onana was brought in as the replacement for David de Gea who left Manchester United at the end of last season. The Cameroonian shot-stopper arrived from Inter Milan in a deal worth €52 million back in July.

However, his start to life in England has been far from brilliant, with recurring costly errors tarnishing his reputation at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Onana's plight isn't strange. According to Rio Ferdinand, the goalkeeper is going through the same thing De Gea went through during his early days at Old Trafford. The Englishman has called on the club's senior defenders to follow the same pattern he and his colleagues employed back then to help their new goalkeeper.

“Those moments are about the experienced players making the new ones more confident," he was quoted as saying by Mirror. When they make a good save, it’s about reassuring them, when they make a mistake, it’s about not berating them."

"There will be times when you have to berate someone like that but when you know someone was young and fragile, like David was, you've got to be clever around those situations," he added. "He wanted to feel his teammates had confidence. If your teammates have confidence in you, f*** what anyone else has said. That’s what the experienced players at Man United have to do now, rally around.”

Rio Ferdinand has had the opportunity to watch and interact with Andre Onana since his arrival at Manchester United. From their brief interactions, the Englishman is convinced the goalkeeper has what it takes to turn the tide at Old Trafford.

“He looks like a confident kid," he continued. "I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and he seems confident. Mistakes are part of it. He understands that. But we have to remember that he’s not a goalkeeper who hasn’t had these moments before. He’s made mistakes and come back."

"He’s played for Inter Milan in a Champions League final, he’s played for Ajax in the Europa League final. He has the experience of making mistakes, rebuilding and going again. I think he can do that. He’s made of the right stuff. Speaking to the staff, they say forget about ability because you can tell he has the character for this," added the Red Devils icon.

Andre Onana's slow start at Manchester United in numbers

Since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer, the Cameroonian has made 12 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions, recording just three clean sheets to his name.

The real disappointment comes with the knowledge that he's conceded a whopping 20 goals in those games.

Some of these goals have come in embarrassing fashion; the type of goals you'd expect even amateur goalkeepers to deal with perfectly. A good example is the goal he conceded against Leroy Sane during the clash with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Onana will get another shot at redemption in the Champions League today (October 24). The Red Devils are scheduled to face Copenhagen at Old Trafford and the Cameroonian is expected to keep his place between the sticks.