Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has offered a staunch defense of his goalkeeper, Andre Onana, in the wake of Onana’s recent mistakes on the pitch. Despite a series of errors, ten Hag firmly believes that Onana ranks among the Premier League’s top goalkeepers.
Onana, who was signed by Manchester United for £47 million during the summer transfer window as a replacement for David de Gea, has faced increased scrutiny due to his recent performances. While there had been signs of improvement in his form in recent weeks, Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Galatasaray highlighted his struggles as he was directly responsible for two goals. Onana had also made a critical mistake in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
However, Erik ten Hag pointed to statistical data to make his case for Onana’s abilities. According to ten Hag, Onana ranks second in the Premier League in terms of saves made, save percentage, and goals prevented. This suggests that, despite occasional errors, Onana’s overall performance in the Premier League has been commendable.
“If you analyze it well, then you see he is the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League based on stats, so his expected defending goals is the second best in the Premier League,” remarked Ten Hag. “He’s doing well. Also, he knows that in the Champions League, he makes some mistakes, but all over, you see that in the first five months, he is doing particularly well.”
Looking ahead, Onana faces another significant challenge on Saturday evening as Manchester United travels to face Newcastle, who have been on a five-game winning streak at St James’ Park. Despite recent setbacks, Ten Hag expressed confidence that Onana would not carry any lingering doubts from Wednesday night’s performance into the upcoming match.