"He’s nowhere near being good enough" - Pundit slams Manchester United star after his error-strewn performance in UCL fixture
Footballer-turned-pundit Clinton Morrison has criticized Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana for his latest display in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Onana started the Red Devils' virtual must-win visit to Galatasaray on November 29 and made two fatal errors. He moved in the wrong direction to find himself beaten by Hakim Ziyech's first-half free-kick, with the goal halving United's 2-0 lead. After the break, he let another Ziyech free-kick slip underneath him to see his side's lead get cut again, this time from 3-1 to 3-2.
Kerem Akturkoglu's stunning strike then brought the Turkish giants level, and the game ended that way, leaving Manchester United bottom of their UCL group. It marked the third time Erik ten Hag's side scored three goals away from home in the Champions League this season and failed to win.
Predictably, Onana came under the scanner for his performance, and Morrison is the latest to voice his thoughts on the Cameroonian goalkeeper. The former Crystal Palace attacker said on Premier League Productions (as quoted by TBR Football):
“Man United’s biggest problem against Galatasaray was Onana. Two of the goals were his fault. He’s nowhere near being good enough.
“He’s not better than David de Gea. Do you know what he is? He’s better with his feet than David de Gea, but shot stopping, David de Gea is a better goalie than Onana.”
Onana was signed by Manchester United for a reported fee of £47 million from Ajax this summer to replace De Gea, who departed on a free transfer. In 20 appearances across competitions this term, he has already conceded 33 goals, 14 of which have come in the UCL.
A look at Andre Onana's major errors since joining Manchester United
Andre Onana didn't enjoy the greatest of pre-seasons ahead of his maiden season with Manchester United. The Cameroon international was lobbed from the half-way line by Florian Satoca in the Red Devils' 3-1 win over Lens back in August.
In their Premier League season opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Onana made numerous saves to help his side win 1-0. However, many felt he got away with a foul on Sasa Kalajdzic in the penalty area in the dying embers of that game.
He was also slammed for not staying on his feet in a one-on-one situation against Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi on Matchday 3 of the league. The criticism emerged once again when he similarly allowed Mauro Icardi to chip him in Galatasaray's 3-2 UEFA Champions League win at Old Trafford in early October.
Earlier in the latter fixture, his poor pass gifted the ball straight to Dries Mertens and led to Casemiro fouling the Belgian in the box and receiving his marching orders. Icardi, however, missed that spot-kick.
Between those two games, Onana also let a tame Leroy Sane effort slip under him in United's Champions League opener against Bayern Munich. That proved to be a vital moment as Erik ten Hag's men went on to lose that match 4-3.
Onana's Manchester United career has also had its highlights. The 27-year-old currently has the most clean sheets in the league this term with five. He also made a few outstanding stops in league defeats against Manchester City and Arsenal, while saving a last-minute penalty in United's 1-0 UCL win over Copenhagen.