Former Premier League goalkeeper reveals why Man United’s Andre Onana put vaseline on his gloves during Liverpool draw after fans were left baffled

A former Premier League goalkeeper has explained why André Onana put Vaseline on his gloves during Manchester United’s draw against Liverpool on Sunday.

The clash between two of the biggest names in English football ended 2-2, denting the Reds’ title hopes, but many fans were left baffled when they saw Man United’s Cameroonian goalkeeper apply the substance.

While many believe that the slippery properties of Vaseline could be a disadvantage for goalkeepers, a man who previously made his living between the sticks gave his opinion on this decision.

Mark Boschnich, who played for Man United, Aston Villa and Chelsea during two decades in the Premier League, spoke about the incident with Sky Sports News.

The former Australian goalkeeper said: “You were exceptional in the first half, Onana. You’ve had your ups and downs, there’s no doubt about that.

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“With everything that’s going on on social media with the Vaseline on the gloves, luckily for him, he was exceptional, because that would have been the punchline to many jokes around the world if one of the balls had escaped.

‘The only thing I can think of is that it helps his grip. A lot of goalkeepers like to have their gloves a little wet sometimes, because I think the grip they have, the rubber, can be so stringy that it takes away a little bit of feeling from your hands.

“But the best person to ask is obviously the goalkeeper. The only thing I can think of is that he feels it makes his grip more comfortable.

Onana made six important saves as Manchester United drew level with title-chasing Liverpool despite being completely outplayed during a dominant first-half display by Jurgen Klopp’s side.

He was also seen putting Vaseline on his gloves during the match against western ham in December, but that didn’t stop X (formerly Twitter) users from wondering why he was doing it during Sunday’s game.

Manchester United dropped points from a winning position for the third straight game on Sunday, after being tied by Brentford last weekend and losing to Chelsea in midweek.

Erik ten Hag’s side next travel to Bournemouth on Saturday, eight days before the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley.