“It’s true Andre Onana hasn’t met our standards” — Ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has publicly acknowledged that his goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has not met the expected standards at the club.

This admission comes amidst reports from The Sun that Manchester United is considering re-signing their former keeper, David De Gea, on a short-term deal due to concerns about their goalkeeping options during Onana’s absence for the Africa Cup of Nations.

David De Gea, who had been Manchester United’s number one goalkeeper for an impressive 12-year tenure, departed the club earlier this summer upon the expiration of his contract.

In his place, Onana was acquired from Inter for a substantial fee of £42 million. However, the Cameroonian international has faced a challenging start to his career at Old Trafford.

Speaking ahead of the highly-anticipated Manchester derby on Sunday, Erik ten Hag conceded that while Andre Onana had displayed moments of quality during his initial months at United, simply being “good” is insufficient for a club of Manchester United’s stature.

Ten Hag emphasized the importance of setting high standards and expectations for the players while acknowledging that Onana, himself, possesses substantial skills and capabilities, having previously excelled at prestigious clubs in renowned leagues.

Ten Hag expressed his confidence in Onana’s abilities and underlined the need for consistent performances, asserting that at Manchester United, “good is not good enough.”

Andre Onana however demonstrated his value to the team most recently by making a crucial save from a stoppage-time penalty, securing a vital 1-0 victory over Copenhagen and revitalizing Manchester United’s Champions League campaign.

Following Onana’s Champions League heroics, Ten Hag praised the goalkeeper’s display of character and noted his acknowledgment that, given his skillset, he had not met the expected standards in previous performances.

Ten Hag highlighted Onana’s recent improvements, particularly singling out his strong performance against Sheffield United and the critical save made during the counter-attack.