Erik ten Hag has said that his Manchester United squad must step up and support Andre Onana as he looks to settle into the side. The goalkeeper made a significant mistake against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and the error proved somewhat decisive in the 4-3 defeat.
United dominated the opening stages of the match before Leroy Sane was teed up on the edge of the box in the 28th minute. The German international’s strike was tame and fired straight at Onana, but the ex-Inter Milan shot-stopper failed to get his body behind the ball and it trickled beneath him and into the back of the net.
The Cameroon international could do very little about the other goals scored on the night from Serge Gnabry, Harry Kane and Mathys Tel, though still felt that his calamitous error changed the complexion of the game. He pushed to be interviewed post-match so that he could take responsibility.
Despite Onana’s public stance, Ten Hag was keen for the blame to be shared among his squad and felt that the overall performance was not up to standard at the Allianz Arena. He explained: “I think he shows that he takes the responsibility and shows personality and the personality he needs to get in high levels. But that’s not only about him but I think it’s about the team’s performance.
“So we have to support him on the pitch, we have to help him. but it doesn’t only count for Andre, it counts for all the players on the pitch. They have to understand they are 11, they are in the same boat and they have to be on the same page to get results.
“In football, there will always be mistakes, so don’t make it bigger than it is. As I said already, it was not only Andre with that goal, it was after that. In the second half, he made great saves for us, he showed his capabilities and he will bounce back for us, he is an important player.”
