"It absolutely ruins you as a team" – Pundit urges Newcastle to target struggling Manchester United star in upcoming Premier League fixture
Nottingham Forest great Stuart Pearce has insisted that Newcastle United should try to put Andre Onana under pressure in their upcoming Premier League contest against Manchester United.
Onana, who joined United from Inter Milan in a deal worth up to £47 million earlier this summer, has recently received scrutiny for his error-strewn performances. He made headlines after committing two mistakes in his team's 3-3 UEFA Champions League Group A stalemate at Galatasaray earlier this Wednesday (November 29).
During a recent interaction with talkSPORT, Pearce was asked if Newcastle should target the Cameroonian shot-stopper during their home league match against Erik ten Hag's side. He responded:
"I would if I was taking free-kicks, that's for sure. I would get one on target as quickly as I humanly could. I've played with goalies where you think we're having a lot of the play but if the opposition have a shot on target then the idiot behind me will drop one in. It absolutely ruins you as a team when you think your goalkeeper could drop one in at any moment."
Pearce, who represented England 78 times during his career, added:
"I don't think it gives Newcastle the edge because he's also got the ability to pull off a wonderful save to keep his team in it. It's just that he's been responsible for one or two things. If I was them, I'd get as many shots as possible on target and chase him down as he portrays a goalkeeper who has supreme confidence. When you're not having a good time, that belies a real nervousness."
An ex-Barcelona youth player, Onana has registered seven shutouts and shipped 33 goals in 20 appearances for Manchester United so far.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are sixth in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 24 points from 13 outings. Newcastle, on the other hand, are seventh with 23 points from same number of games.
Manchester United star Tyrell Malacia set to return to first-team action in early next year
According to Manchester United's official website, Tyrell Malacia is due to return to action in early 2024 as he has resumed individual training at Carrington of late. He was expected to make a comeback from his knee injury earlier this season, but he had to undergo surgery.
Malacia, 24, is yet to feature in a single match for Manchester United so far in the ongoing 2023-24 season. He made 39 appearances last term after arriving for an initial £13 million from Feyenoord.
In Malacia's absence, Red Devils' first-choice left-back Luke Shaw and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Sergio Reguilon have deputized in his role.