Erik ten Hag has said that, based on statistics, Andre Onana is the second best goalkeeper in the Premier League.
The Manchester United stopper has endured a difficult start to his time at Old Trafford and has made several high-profile mistakes. The latest came on Wednesday night as the Red Devils drew 3-3 against Galatasaray.
Onana was responsible for at least two of the goals, both of which came from Hakim Ziyech free-kicks that squirmed into the net. The ex-Ajax and Inter Milan man was heavily criticised in the post-match debrief, with suggestions Altay Bayindir could soon be given an opportunity to play.
But Ten Hag defended Onana in Friday’s press conference, ahead of the weekend trip to Newcastle United, and pointed to one stat that says the Cameroon international is the second best goalkeeper in the league. Only Luton Town’s Thomas Kaminski has outperformed his expected saves more than Onana this season.
Elsewhere, Ten Hag was asked about Kobbie Mainoo, who starred in the 3-0 win over Everton last time out in the league. However, the teenager was dropped for the trip to Turkey and came on the second half. The United boss gave more detail on that decision and also was quizzed on what attributes Mainoo brings to the team.
The midfielder could come back into the side at St James’ Park, especially with the lack of midfield options at present. Ten Hag was asked for the latest injury and team news on Friday and gave an update on Mason Mount.
Here's what Ten Hag had to say on Friday’s press conference.
!['If he is ready or not. And he showed, on Sunday, he was ready. Then we have to manage three games in six days to get the best results in all of those games. We have more than 11 players and we have good options there, like Sofyan [Amrabat], who also showed [that] as he played a very good game. We have many options but we have to manage the load of the players. It is also about freshness as well.''](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2023/10/24/18/GettyImages-1742147698.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
1. Is Mainoo ready?
'If he is ready or not. And he showed, on Sunday, he was ready. Then we have to manage three games in six days to get the best results in all of those games. We have more than 11 players and we have good options there, like Sofyan [Amrabat], who also showed [that] as he played a very good game. We have many options but we have to manage the load of the players. It is also about freshness as well.''
2. Best attributes
"His scanning, it always looks like he has time. Because of his scanning, he is running free and the scanning to see the options and then make the right decisions. He can delay, he can speed up and he makes the right decisions.''
3. Onana criticism
''If you analyse it well, then you will see he is the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League, based on stats. His expected defence on goal is the second best in the Premier League. So yeah, he is doing well, but also he knows that, in the Champions League, he has had made some mistakes. But, overall, in the first five months, he is doing particularly well.''
4. Onana confidence
''You know also because you have seen how he is reacting after a bad performance, like he did after Munich. Then after, against Burnley, he was outstanding. He is a strong character, a personality and he will deal with it.''