Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag responds to calls for Andre Onana to be dropped for Altay Bayindir
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has praised Altay Bayindir for his adaption to life at Old Trafford but refused to blame Andre Onana for his shocking performance against Galatasaray.
The Red Devils were held to a 3-3 draw against Galatasaray away from home in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 29. Onana had a night to forget as he had a part to play in all three of the home side's goals.
The Cameroon international failed to make two simple saves as Hakim Ziyech netted two free-kicks from distance in the 29th and 62nd minute. He was then caught out of position, which enabled Muhammed Akturkoglu to level the scores in the 71st minute, eradicating Manchester United's two-goal advantage.
Onana has failed to justify his reported £47.2 million transfer fee since joining Manchester United from Inter Milan this summer. He has already conceded 33 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions and has also made high-profile errors against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in the UCL this season.
Many fans have demanded Ten Hag to give Altay Bayindir a shot between the sticks. The Turkey international is yet to make his debut for the club, since joining this summer from Fenerbache for a reported fee of £4.3 million.
Ten Hag opted not to blame Onana and hinted that Bayindir could make his first start if he keeps progressing well. As per METRO, he said:
"We are very happy with our keeper group, with Andre, with Altay and also Tom [Heaton]. A very good keeper group. As a group they do really well, they have good performances and they have to push each other.
"So we are very pleased with Altay, he gets used to the Premier League, he gets used to European football – which is tough when you’re coming from Turkey."
"But we are very pleased with that process, he’s doing very well," he continued. "He has to be patient, but if he works well, if he keeps his progress, he will get his chances and then he has to take this."
Andre Onana's errors last night have resulted in United needing a miracle to qualify for the UCL Round of 16. They are currently at the bottom of Group A with four points from five games.
Erik ten Hag pleased with Manchester United's performance following 3-3 draw against Galatasaray
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insisted that he was pleased with his side's performance against Galatasaray despite dropping two points in their 3-3 draw.
Alejandro Garnacho (11') and Bruno Fernandes (18') gave the Red Devils the perfect start with two brilliant strikes. Scott McTominay netted a third in the 55th minute. But the away side were the architects of their downfall as lapses of concentration resulted in a 3-3 draw.
During the post-match press conference, Ten Hag said (via Manchester United's official website):
"We will fix that [conceding too many goals] but I’m very pleased, you see the style of the team. Proactive, dynamic, brave, so it’s what I said, I’m really pleased with the performance."
"We created so many chances," he added. "Also, in the end, we could have won this game, with Scott [McTominay], with Pelli [Facundo Pellistri] in the end. They were big chances and it was not about luck but about playing good football."
Galatasaray dominated possession with 58 percent of the ball in contrast to Manchester United's 42. The home team also landed a total of 16 shots with eight being on target, whereas the Red Devils had 17 shots with four being on target.