What Ten Hag is planning to do with Onana after his horror Champions League show
REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Erik ten Hag is not giving up on summer signing Andre Onana despite his disastrous display against Galatasaray.
André Onana headed into the crucial Champions League tie against Galatasaray with three straight Premier League clean-sheets under his belt. This run of form before Wednesday night in Istanbul was enough to give Manchester United fans a sense of confidence going into the game, where United needed all three points to keep control of their fate in the competition.
Early goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes only added to the confidence of the United faithful and the home crowd’s energy got lost amid the away support’s celebrations. However, Hakim Ziyech’s freekick just before the half-hour mark beat Onana and woke up the crowd which got louder as the game progressed.
Even Scott McTominay’s strike in the second half failed to calm the nerves of the Red Devils, not least their goalkeeper, who was beaten by another Ziyech freekick after forgetting how to keep the ball out of his own net. In the 71st minute, Galatasaray equalized through Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s vicious strike that left Onana stranded. The 27-year-old should’ve done better for all three goals.
Erik ten Hag continues to back Andre Onana
After a brief period of composure between the sticks, Onana is back where he started, leading to questions over Ten Hag’s continuous show of support, especially since his another signing, Altay Bayındır is waiting in the wings for his chance.
However, an ESPN report claims that the Dutch coach will continue to back his former Ajax man and believes it was the right decision to sign him as David de Gea’s replacement. Moreover, he’s likely to keep his starting place against Newcastle over the weekend.
Apart from his sloppy shot-stopping – which to be fair is the most important trait for a goalkeeper – Onana has been an important cog in United’s build-up play due to his ability in possession, making his presence in the team a net positive when compared to De Gea’s impact in his last season at Old Trafford.