"He will deal with it": Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag backs under criticism Onana
Dec 01, 2023
Newcastle [UK], December 1 : Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has backed Andre Onana who has recently received a lot of criticism for his performance against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week.
Onana's three mistakes at the goalpost cost Manchester United a victory against the Turkish side. The 3-3 draw could potentially cost the Red Devils a spot in the Round of 16 as well.
As Manchester United prepare to face high-flying Newcastle United on Sunday, Ten Hag backed his keeper in the pre-match press conference and said as quoted from Sky Sports, "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."
"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 he was outstanding (a 1-0 win on September 23). He's a strong character, a personality and he will deal with it," Ten Hag added.
The Dutch manager also provided an update on the current injury situation. English mid-fielder Mason Mount continues to make progress towards reaching the on-field action.
On the other hand, Rasmus Hojlund was in doubt for the Newcastle clash after he was substituted during the second half of their UCL clash in Turkey.
"We have many options but we have to manage the load of the players. Mason Mount is, today, returning on the [training] pitch, but I don't know how long it will take until he returns [to play]. I can't say in this moment," Ten Hag said.
Manchester United currently sit in the sixth spot and they will be up against the Magpies who are just one point behind them at the seventh spot.
