Erik ten Hag has defended Andre Onana after the Manchester United goalkeeper’s most recent costly mistakes, describing his No 1 as a “strong character” who will cope with the pressure.
Onana made two significant errors in the 3-3 Champions League draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday which could cost United a place in the knockout stage of the competition.
The Cameroon international – signed from Inter Milan for £47.2m to replace David De Gea in the summer – also committed a howler at Bayern Munich in September and another in United’s first meeting with Galatasaray at Old Trafford a fortnight later.
Despite helping Inter to a Champions League final before his big-money move to England, Onana still has a statistical history of underperforming on the European stage – having made seven errors leading to goals in the competition since 2018/19 – more than any other stopper.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The Football Show team discuss whether Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag might look to replace Andre Onana after more mistakes in their Champions League match against Galatasaray
However, in the Premier League, no goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than Onana (five) and, speaking ahead of United’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday night, Ten Hag insisted his domestic form should be considered when discussing the 27-year-old’s performances.
“If you analyse his game well then you see he’s the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League based on stats. His expected defending goals is the second-best in the Premier League, so he’s doing well,” Ten Hag said.
“He knows in the Champions League he’s made some mistakes but on the whole, the first five months he’s doing particularly well.
“You have seen how he reacts to bad performances, like he did after the Bayern Munich game – against Burnley (a 1-0 win on September 23) he was outstanding.
“He’s a strong character, a personality and he will deal with it.”
More to follow…
Paradox: Man Utd are form team despite league-topping decline
Manchester United are the form team in the Premier League with five wins in six games but there’s a sense Erik ten Hag’s side have regressed this term and the stats back it up…
